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The Brussels trap for private wealth is snapping shut

EU plans even more taxes and expropriation

by Dr Peter F. Mayer*

(5 June 2026) (CH-S) The author describes what Switzerland might face if it were to integrate further with the European Union, using as an example a new two-volume study by the European Union’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union: “Publication of the study on Wealth Taxation, including Net Wealth, Capital and Exit Taxes”.

The EU Commission in Brussels needs more money and is exploring every possible avenue to achieve this. Unlike in Switzerland, citizens in the EU have no say in matters of taxation or fees; the top-down principle applies there.

Peace is our mission!

by Dr Stefan Nold,* Germany

(29 May 2026) (CH-S) Stefan Nold is one of the clearest voices in Germany warning against the impending war. He knows what he is talking about. What is going on with the churches? Are they caving in again, as they did before the First and Second World Wars? Are they allowing themselves to be corrupted by power yet again? Nold describes the situation in a deeply divided Germany in a very personal way.

Economic growth or prosperity?

by Alex Krainer,* Monaco

(29 May 2026) (CH-S) Alex Krainer usually offers astute analyses of current geopolitical developments from various perspectives, or examines local events against the backdrop of global trends. In the following article, he poses the simple question of what economic goals we wish to pursue, given that “economic growth” does not necessarily lead to prosperity.

Russia and China issue a statement on multipolarity

“Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the Formation of a Multipolar World and International Relations of a New Type”

(29 May 2026) (CH-S). Against the backdrop of the volatile situation in the Strait of Hormuz, two high-level meetings took place in quick succession in Beijing in May, which could signal a short-term shift in international politics but also pave the way for a long-term realignment.

Patriotism and Common Good of Humanity

Challenges to Global Peace and Development

by Professor Dr Hans Köchler*, President of the International Progress Organization (I.P.O.)

(22 May 2026) (CH-S) With scholarly precision, Professor Dr Hans Köchler sets out the connection between peoples’ right to development and their right to peace. Against the backdrop of the West’s current power politics, he argues that the self-interests of states must be defined in the context of their reciprocity, so that all people worldwide may be granted their most fundamental rights. In doing so, he draws upon the prevailing norms of international law.

Below we reproduce the author’s impressive keynote speech, which he delivered at the Forum of the “Palais des Nations” in Geneva on 1 April 2026.

“A turning point in education – the courage to change course”

Back to the core mission of the school

by Philipp Loretz*

(22 May 2026) (CH-S) It’s common knowledge: schools in German-speaking countries are on a downward trajectory that threatens to turn into a nosedive. Warnings from the field have so far gone unheeded by the self-referential education bureaucracy. That is set to change soon.

On 27 April 2026 an inter-cantonal group comprising teachers, school leaders, experts in educational science, child and adolescent psychology, and politics presented a manifestoA and invited the public to the press conference “Turning point in education – the courage to change course.B

Below you will find the statement from Philipp Loretz, President of the Baselland Teachers’ Association (LVB). As a practitioner, he presents seven proposals for a change of course.