Arms Transfers, Neutrality and Britain’s Role in the Cold War: Anglo-Swiss Relations 1945-1958

Product Description
Marco Wyss examines the extensive Anglo-Swiss armaments relationship between 1945 and 1958 in light of their bilateral relations, and thereby assesses the role of arms transfers, neutrality and Britain, as well as the two countries' relationship during the Cold War.
From the Back Cover
Great Britain was neutral Switzerland's main supplier of heavy weaponry during the early Cold War. Marco Wyss analyses this armaments relationship against the background of Anglo-Swiss relations between 1945 and 1958, and thereby assesses the role of arms transfers, neutrality and Britain, as well as the two countries' political, economic and military relations. By using multi-archival research, the author discovers "traits of specialness" in the Anglo-Swiss relationship, analyses the incentives for Berne's weapons purchases and London's arms sales, sheds new light on the Cold War arms transfer system and the motivations of the participating states, and questions the sustainability of neutrality during the East-West conflict, as well as Britain's role from a western neutral and small power perspective. Marco Wyss, Ph.D. (2011) in History and Politics, Universities of Neuch tel and Nottingham, is Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich. He has published extensively on aspects of World War II and the Cold War, notably "Un Suisse au service de la SS" (Alphil, 2010). "This is an impressive piece of work. Firmly rooted in multi-archival research, this is a model of how a case study of an arms sales relationship should be approached.," Professor Mark Phythian, University of Leicester.
About the Author
Marco Wyss , Ph.D. (2011) in History and Politics, Universities of Neuchâtel and Nottingham, is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Contemporary History, University of Chichester. He has published extensively on aspects of World War II and the Cold War, notably
Un Suisse au service de la SS (Alphil, 2010).