This book examines US-Swiss relations in the context of Swiss banking secrecy and Holocaust related claims from World War II until the end of the 1990s. During World War II, Switzerland had been purchasing Reichsbank's gold and safeguarded the assets of the victims of Nazi Germany. This deeply impacted US-Swiss relations in the 1990s, and fueled a major conflict over dormant accounts and heirless assets of Holocaust victims. The US pressured Switzerland for Holocaust restitution using economic sanctions and a negative PR campaign. This culminated in a billion-dollar settlement, a reevaluation of wartime history by the Swiss, and a blow to Switzerland's international image. This book analyzes US policy towards Switzerland as a case of projection of US economic, as opposed to military power.

Autorentext

Anna Pruska received her Master's Degree in Finance and Banking from the Warsaw School of Economics, studied Macroeconomics at the Johannes Guttenberg University in Mainz, and pursued her post-graduate studies at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. She obtained her PhD in the field of Political Science and Administration at the faculty of International and Political Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

Inhalt

US- Swiss Conflict - Holocaust Claims - Swiss Banking Secrecy - Foundations and Origins of Swiss Banking Secrecy - Swiss Financial Center - Looted Gold - Washington Accord - Holocaust Compensation - Dormant Accounts - Heirless Assets - Holocaust Litigation - Class Action Suits - Holocaust Settlement - Role of Financial Sanctions