Lessons from Switzerland

prosperous countries globally, even though in terms of natural resources it does not have anything other than that of reservoirs water. Maulana explained that opportunities exist along with problems. Therefore, we have to ‘ignore the problems, and avail the opportunities’. In 1914, the First World War broke out. Switzerland had the status of a neutral country then. As a result, many political refugees from other parts of Europe fled their countries and came to Switzerland. Among these was Vladimir Lenin, who later spearheaded the Marxist revolution in Russia. He arrived in Switzerland in September 1914. Some of his companions, who were called Bolsheviks, also gathered there. They organised two anti-war conferences—in 1915 and