As tensions rise again between Cuba and the United States under President Donald Trump, Cuban diplomats are quietly looking to Switzerland – the neutral country that once served as the sole communication bridge during the Cold War – to help restore a constructive dialogue that could allow Cuba to escape economic pressure exerted by the US. “If neutral Switzerland didn’t exist, we would have to invent it.” The phrase, attributed to an advisor of former American President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis and found in the Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland (Dodis), reveals the key role Switzerland played in facilitating dialogue between two Cold War adversaries during one of the most dangerous standoffs in modern history. Switzerland’s embassy in Havana served as the only formal diplomatic channel between the US and Cuba for much of the Cold War which ran from 1961 until 2015, an enduring example of Swiss quiet diplomacy. Now, as sanctions tighten under the leadership ...
