JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Transfer of Soviet Prisoners of War from Afghanistan to Switzerland, 1982–1986.

  • Published In: Contemporary European History, 2024, v. 33, n. 2. P. 529 1 of 3

  • Database: Historical Abstracts with Full Text 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Stadler, Liliane 3 of 3

Abstract

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the Swiss government initially refused to become diplomatically involved, arguing that as a small, permanently neutral state, Switzerland was unable to make a difference in the Afghan crisis. The present article shows that between 1982 and 1986, the Swiss authorities began to identify the transfer of eleven Soviet prisoners of war from Afghanistan to Switzerland as an opportunity to demonstrate Switzerland's neutral good offices in situations of armed conflict. It also shows that Switzerland's involvement came about primarily through direct and indirect exchanges with non-state actors in the Afghan crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Contemporary European History. 2024/05, Vol. 33, Issue 2, p529
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Military History and Science
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:0960-7773
  • DOI:10.1017/S0960777322000583
  • Accession Number:177081377
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Contemporary European History is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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