The European Convention on Human Rights (Convention), which came into force in 1953, was motivated by the desire to prevent the worst abuses of the Second World War and protect citizens of European countries from the threat of Communism. Today, the body that rules on the Convention, the European Court...

What is driving so many young Westerners to commit or sympathize with appalling acts of terror in Paris, London, Madrid and the Middle East? Is this caused by generational estrangement or poverty or new forms of criminal-gang behavior, or is it the result of the conflicts caused at home by...

Zurich Salon invites you to a “fireside” evening discussion and musical performance exploring the latest developments in gene editing, including CRISPR. Where is the current science at? Where are the research and science headed? What are the existing and future risks and possibilities? What role does art play in engaging and...

Greens worry that the Earth cannot sustain our desire for more, more, more. Do their worries halt progress? We are living longer, healthier and richer lives than ever before. These trends have already spread to billions of people in poorer countries. But are the costs of all this progress beginning...

Connoisseurship is a slippery concept, but in simple terms a connoisseur is an expert judge. In the field of art, it means particularly the ability to distinguish the work of different artists, but can include knowledge of the physical characteristics of works of art (technique, condition, restoration), and their place...

Do women require special pleading and new laws to “break the glass ceiling” on gender? Since 2012 EU Commission has campaigned to make it a legal requirement for the largest 5,000 businesses in  Europe to employ 40 per cent women in leadership positions by 2020. Last year the Swiss Cabinet...

François Hollande has declared the EU ‘remote and incomprehensible’, and David Cameron has accused it of being ‘too big, too bossy, too interfering’. Even the former European Commission president José Manuel Barroso has called for a ‘truly democratic debate’ on the future of Europe. The real power in the EU...

These are said to be unprecedentedly uncertain times for business, but one area where there seems to be much certainty is that businesses need to do more than be profitable providers of goods and services: they must also do the ‘responsible’ thing, do the ‘right’ thing, for the rest of...

Technology and science are moving forward at an extraordinary and increasing pace. Many people fear that this brings with it unplanned and potentially unacceptable risk. They say science is amoral and makes ‘progress’ without regard to the cost and benefits it brings. Human cloning, for instance, seemingly treats humans as...