Switzerland

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country in central Europe. It is bordered by Italy in the south, France in the west, Germany in the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.

History

Preston Vogel maintains a Swiss bank account. In 1995, Fox transferred an undisclosed sum to the account as down payment for his participation in her hostile takeover attempt of Cyberbiotics. ("Outfoxed")

In 1997, Antoinette Dracon attended an auction in Geneva, purchasing Cleopatra's Necklace for Demona. ("Acquisitions")

Real World Background

Switzerland's policy of neutrality was first recognized at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Maintaining diplomatic relationships with most nations, Switzerland often serves as an intermediary between other countries. During World War II, Switzerland was a hub of espionage for both the Allied and Axis powers and largely avoided Nazi invasion through concessions like extending lines of credit to Germany and imposing strict asylum policies for refugees.

The nation has long had a reputation for its banking secrecy practices, which has enabled many to use their banks to effectively evade taxes, hide assets, or commit other forms of financial crime. In 2017, Switzerland agreed to the automatic exchange of information with foreign governments, which finally began to curb banking secrecy practices for non-Swiss residents.

Today, Switzerland hosts offices for many international organizations, including the United Nations, which it only joined in 2002 by popular referendum.

See Also

• Switzerland at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia