Snow caps, yes: people caps, no.In a national referendum this week, the people of Switzerland voted against a hard cap of 10 million on the population.
The vote was called by the conservative Swiss People’s Party in an effort to control the country’s population growth, which is driven entirely by immigration.Switzerland is a unicorn among the world’s nations: a successful multilingual state.The country was forged in the medieval and early modern wars of Europe, where its cantons of German, Italian, French and Romansh speakers joined together to form a federal union to defend itself against the powerful monarchies around it.Hemmed in by mountains, the Swiss had natural protection.
But they augmented it through military preparedness and a reputation for producing tough fighters.Since 1506, the Pope has been protected today by the Swiss Guard, which has now evolved into an agency combining police, security and investigation functions.Switzerland successfully stayed neutral during WWI and WWII.
That neutrality was backed by required military service from every man.On completing military service, Swiss men are required to retrain every so often and to keep a military rifle at home with a stock of ammunition.
With a population of 9 million, Switzerland can mobilize up to 200,000 men quickly.'SEND THEM BACK' CHANTS ROCK EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AFTER LANDSLIDE VOTE TO SPEED UP DEPORTATIONSPolice encircled and controlled protesters during the No G7 demonstration in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 15, 2026.At the end of the authorized demonstration, hundreds of people were surrounded by police for more than eight hours in a large-scale kettling operation conducted by law enforcement authorities.
(Photo by Felice Rosa / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)To discourage foreign aggression, the Swiss built a huge network of tunnels, bunkers, and hidden weapons.To discourage a Nazi assault in WWII, they hid gun emplacements and tanks behind the facades of houses facing mount...