What would you say about a neighbor who made violent incursions into your property several times over the past few years? Well, you’d probably take that neighbor to court or, if you felt really threatened, you might consider moving. But what if that neighbor was not a person or a family but, rather, another country? Well, that’s the current situation going on right now in a certain part of the world.
Let’s go back a bit. The offended country is small and basically helpless, it has no real army, and hasn’t been a threat to anyone or any place in centuries. Its people are known for being thrifty, hardworking, and industrious. The offending country, on the other hand, is over 25,000 times larger than its tiny neighbor. It has sent its well-trained troops to other countries over the centuries because they’re known for their loyalty and bravery. One of their major exports is personal weapons produced for their army, in fact.
And, so, at least four times over the past fifty-some odd years, the bigger country has invaded the smaller one–and not one resolution condemning these aggressions has been lodged or passed by the United Nations. Here is a quick rundown of all the times the small nation has been attacked over the years:
1968-The first time was a mortar strike taking out some buildings and infrastructure. No injuries but loss of property and income.
1976-A scouting party of 75 entered the neighboring country on what they later said was an “accident” but no compensation was offered.
1985-Surface to air missiles were launched into the small country (why shoot missiles? They had no air force in the first place) started forest fires that destroyed a good deal of valuable woodlands and hurt the economy. Again, and luckily, no injuries.
1992-In this instance, actual regular army troops crossed the border and occupied a small village. No apology made or compensation offered
2007-Another incursion of troops, this time on a larger scale. This time, the government of the smaller nation demanded that the larger country be held accountable. No one did anything, but the troops were withdrawn and a formal apology was issued. But the apology came with the statement that “no helicopters were used in the incident,” as if that made it better, somehow.
Again, you’ve not heard about this aggression and no action has been taken to punish the aggressor. Maybe part of that is the fact that the larger nation has a reputation as being the anti-aggressor. In fact, it is known internationally as a bastion of peace, tranquility, and neutrality.
That’s why it’s hard to understand why tiny Liechtenstein keeps getting picked on by its knife-wielding next-door neighbor, Switzerland.
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