Can the Swiss match Germany’s generosity?

Germany has opened its borders and heart to Syrian refugees, but where does its neighbour Switzerland stand? It's fair to say that - while a good pupil - it “could do better”. After the shocking photos of a small boy lying dead on a Turkish beach came, last weekend, images of joy in Germany. Crowds in Munich and Frankfurt welcomed Syrian refugees with open arms, showing that the decisions taken just hours earlier by Angela Merkel’s government were so much more than just words. At the same time – and in stark contrast – a handful of volunteers welcomed a single Syrian family on the platform at Buchs, on Switzerland's eastern border. Should Switzerland be embarrassed by the generosity of its big northern neighbour?  “What has been happening these past days in Germany is exceptional. The country is again taking on the leading role that it played during the Balkan crisis at the beginning of the 1990s,” said Robin Stünzi, a doctoral student and expert in asylum issues at ...