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Were the politicians at fault?

There aren’t many politicians who have a sense for reality and understand where their countries stand in a global context.

«In Germany things took an even nastier turn.»

Politics to a degree always has a local focus. But with business leader it is different. The globally active banks should have realized the extent of the avalanche that was about to engulf them.

Can you provide specific examples?

By 2007 at the latest, when there were already intensive talks between U.S. officials and Swiss state prosecutors, the Swiss financial sector and local politicians should have been developing a common strategy for seeking dialogue with the U.S. That would have been easier at the time, than was the case for example with Germany.

How do you mean?

The German finance minister at the time Peer Steinbrueck was far more aggressive with his «cavalry» threats. With Germany things were much nastier. With the US one should simply have tried to seek a dialogue, especially with the Justice Department.

Why?

Given my contacts at the time, I could see the surprise that Switzerland had made no serious attempts to seek a dialogue. And the automatic exchange of information wasn’t even an issue then, rather it was themes like establishing legal channels to access information. Such issues, which were very moderate in tone. An historical chance was missed then.

Your book is lively, with an amusing undertone. Did you choose this style deliberately?

I don’t wish to moralize, nor am I a preacher. In order to digest certain experiences one needs to be able to laugh about them. Of course one is sometimes disappointed and angry with oneself, or with others.

«It is not always easy to recognize a trickster.»

Still, that shouldn’t make one bitter and cynical. You can’t always know who is a trickster. At the end of the day one has to enjoy one’s experiences.

What is the subject of your next book?

Between 2012 and 2014 I was in Syria trying to find someone who had disappeared in the conflict there. This search, which also took me to Beirut, Jordanien and the Gulf, brought unpleasant experiences relating to child prostitution, and people and drug smuggling. This was such a stressful time that I began therapy to try and describe my experiences.

Did you find the person you were looking for?

I at least found out what happened to the person. I cannot say more than that.

Daniel Levin is a lawyer. The 55-year-old spent his childhood as the son of a diplomat in the Middle East and in Africa, and later attended school in Zurich, moving on to study in Switzerland and the U.S. He worked for more than 20 years as an advisor to governments and institutions on economic development and political reform. He is presently a member of the board of the Liechtenstein Foundation for State Governance. He lives near New York City. Based on personal experiences gathered during his international activities, his book, «Nothing but a Circus: Misadventures among the Powerful» which takes a biting and bittersweet look at what goes on behind the scenes of power, was recently translated into German.