Entwicklung und Diskussion des Kriegsmaterialrechts seit 1972

Despite Switzerland’s international commitment to disarmament and peacebuilding, war materiel worth hundreds of millions of Swiss francs is exported every year. These exports have repeatedly led to debates in Swiss politics ever since the creation of the War Materiel Act in 1972. After an analysis of the constitutional and international legal framework for arms exports, this paper examines which interests and norms have been negotiated in the national legislative process by focusing on parliamentary debates since 1972. Through its interdisciplinary approach, the paper demonstrates that legal concepts have hardly played a role in the political process and that the political arguments have barely changed.