Ask the structure of the English sentence
Here's the sentence:

If anything, a backlash is building to protect the vaunted traditions of secrecy that undergird an essential pillar of the Swiss economy.

I want to ask why there's a comma after the "anything", what's it's original sentence? Are there some words being omitted?

And can anyone help me understand what it's talking about?

Question

Ask the structure of the English sentence
Here's the sentence:

If anything, a backlash is building to protect the vaunted traditions of secrecy that undergird an essential pillar of the Swiss economy.

I want to ask why there's a comma after the "anything", what's it's original sentence? Are there some words being omitted?

And can anyone help me understand what it's talking about?

Answer

It's being used like a conjunction, but there is also an "understood" part of the sentence. The sentence could also say:

"If anything is building, a backlash is building to..."

Since the meaning is understood, though, we don't need to say "is building".