International Democratic Alliance: A Pre-Enactment of University of Zurich and Zürcher Theater Spektakel

Zurich, August 2027. Liberal democracies around the world are under pressure. As authoritarian governments gain influence and international cooperation becomes increasingly fragile, an unexpected development captures global attention: at the University of Zurich, representatives of more than forty democracies agree to establish a new multilateral organisation dedicated to protecting and strengthening democratic governance — the International Democratic Alliance (IDA).

Switzerland, as the host nation, is caught off guard by the sudden breakthrough. A fundamental question now arises: should the neutral Alpine state, long regarded as one of the world’s most stable and successful democracies, join the alliance? The Federal Council hesitates. The proposed charter goes further than the government is prepared to endorse.

Yet, following a parliamentary reform adopted in spring 2027, the final say in major international negotiations no longer rests solely with elected officials. Instead, a Swiss citizens’ assembly selected by lot has been granted decision-making authority. Its members are given just two hours to determine whether Switzerland should become a founding member of the IDA.

Eighty years after Winston Churchill’s historic “Zurich Speech” in the Aula of the University of Zurich, in which he called for a democratic and united Europe, the question returns with renewed urgency: What institutions, alliances and forms of cooperation must we build today to ensure peace, security and freedom tomorrow?