But as a new piece from SWI swissinfo.ch shows, that shared label hides two very different stories.

Switzerland’s armed neutrality was recognized from the outside, sealed by the European powers at the 1815 Congress of Vienna. Ireland’s came later and from a different impulse: after hard-won independence from Britain, neutrality became a way to assert sovereignty and stay out of others' conflicts. One model is built on a working army; the other, as the article notes, leaves out the word “armed” altogether.

Featured in the discussion is Prof. Laurent Goetschel, director of swisspeace, who reminds us that “no country is neutral by coincidence.” The article traces how both countries are now wrestling with the same hard questions — defense spending, sanctions on Russia, weapons exports, and how much of a say citizens should have. For Switzerland, that includes an upcoming vote on the “neutrality initiative”; for Ireland, debates over citizens' assemblies and a possible constitutional referendum.

A thoughtful, timely read on what neutrality really means when the ground keeps shifting beneath it.