Between Neutrality and Solidarity: Swiss Good Offices in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1992

Liliane Stadler, Ph.D. (2021), University of Oxford, is a lecturer in History of International Relations at the University of Utrecht. Her research revolves around neutral states in multilateral diplomacy and conflict resolution.

“For historians and students of Cold War studies, Stadler’s volume is an indispensable resource which has opened new avenues for research on the intersections of diplomacy, humanitarianism, and the agency of smaller states in international relations.”Professor Sandra Bott, University of Lausanne, a H-Diplo Roundtable Review.“Liliane Stadler has produced an outstanding study of Switzerland’s diplomatic involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War and its aftermath (1979-1992). It is masterfully researched, elegantly laid out, and thoughtful in its analysis. Between Neutrality and Solidarity contributes not only to our knowledge about Swiss diplomacy during the late Cold War but also to our understanding of international diplomacy more broadly during the war in Afghanistan.”Dr Markus Balázs Göransson, Swedish Defence University, a H-Diplo Roundtable Review.“Stadler’s book offers more than just an Afghanistan case study to trace Swiss diplomatic changes emerging from the post-World War II “struggle to balance the competing imperatives of permanent neutrality and international solidarity in an increasingly multilateral world.” Stadler provides new insight on the complex dynamics that preceded and followed the 1988 Geneva Accords on Afghanistan. And the slow Swiss adaptation over 1979 to1992 to a much messier diplomatic world involving non-state combatants, non-government organizations, Track-Two diplomacy, and individual diplomatic entrepreneurs, offers a wider case study for multiple global states that are in need of diplomatic flexibility as they address intractable conflicts after the end of the Cold War.”Professor Robert Nichols, Stockton University, a H-Diplo Roundtable Review."Thoroughly researched, compellingly argued, and well-situated within the literature on Cold War-era neutrality, Stadler’s fascinating account has much to offer students of the Afghan war, neutrality, and Swiss history."Robert Rakove, Stanford University, in Cambridge Review of International Affairs (29 Aug 2025): DOI: 10.1080/09557571.2025.2552050