Neutral country


A neutral country is a state which is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war, or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts. As a type of non-combatant status, neutral nationals enjoy protection under the law of war from belligerent actions, to a greater extent than other non-combatants such as enemy civilians and prisoners of war.
Different countries interpret their neutrality differently. Some, such as Costa Rica, have demilitarized; whereas Switzerland holds to "armed neutrality" in which it deters aggression with a sizeable military while barring itself from foreign deployment. Not all neutral countries avoid any foreign deployment or alliances, however, as Austria, Ireland, Finland and Sweden have active UN peacekeeping forces and a political alliance within the European Union. The traditional Swedish policy is not to participate in military alliances, with the intention of staying neutral in the case of war. Immediately before World War II, the Nordic countries stated their neutrality, but Sweden changed its position to that of non-belligerent at the start of the Winter War. There have been considerable changes to the interpretation of neutral conduct over the past centuries. During the Cold War another European country, Yugoslavia, claimed military and ideological neutrality, and that is continued by its successor, Serbia.

Terminology

s may not invade neutral territory, and a neutral power's resisting any such attempt does not compromise its neutrality.
A neutral power must intern belligerent troops who reach its territory, but not escaped prisoners of war. Belligerent armies may not recruit neutral citizens, but they may go abroad to enlist. Belligerent armies' personnel and material may not be transported across neutral territory, but the wounded may be. A neutral power may supply communication facilities to belligerents, but not war material, although it need not prevent export of such material.
Belligerent naval vessels may use neutral ports for a maximum of 24 hours, though neutrals may impose different restrictions. Exceptions are to make repairs—only the minimum necessary to put back to sea—or if an opposing belligerent's vessel is already in port, in which case it must have a 24-hour head start. A prize ship captured by a belligerent in the territorial waters of a neutral power must be surrendered by the belligerent to the neutral, which must intern its crew.

Recognition and codification

Neutrality has been recognised in different ways, and sometimes involves a formal guarantor. For example, Austria has its neutrality guaranteed by its four former occupying powers, Switzerland by the signatories of the Congress of Vienna and Finland by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The form of recognition varies, often by bilateral treaty, multilateral treaty or a UN declaration. These treaties can in some ways be forced on a country but in other cases it is an active policy of the country concerned to respond to a geopolitical situation.
For the country concerned, the policy is usually codified beyond the treaty itself. Austria and Japan codify their neutrality in their constitutions, but they do so with different levels of detail. Some details of neutrality are left to be interpreted by the government while others are explicitly stated, for example Austria may not host any foreign bases and Japan cannot participate in foreign wars. Yet Sweden, lacking formal codification, was more flexible during the Second World War in allowing troops to pass through its territory.

Armed neutrality

Armed neutrality is the posture of a state or group of states that has no alliance with either side in a war, but asserts that it will defend itself against resulting incursions from any party. This may include:
The term derives from the historic maritime neutrality of the League of Armed Neutrality that the Nordic countries and Russia under the leadership of Katherine the Great invented in the late 18th Century, but has since been used only to refer to country neutralities. Sweden and Switzerland are, independent of each other, famed for their armed neutralities, which they maintained throughout both World War I and World War II. The Swiss and the Swedes each have a long history of neutrality: they have not been in a state of war internationally since 1815 and 1814, respectively. They pursue, however, active foreign policies and are frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. According to Edwin Reischauer, "To be neutral you must be ready to be highly militarized, like Switzerland or Sweden."
In contrast, other neutral states may abandon military power or reduce it, but rather uses it for the express purpose of home defense and the maintenance of its neutrality. But the lack of a military does not result in neutrality as countries such as Iceland replaced a standing military with a military guarantee from a stronger power.

Leagues of Armed Neutrality

For many states, such as Ireland and Sweden, neutrality does not mean the absence of any foreign interventionism. Peacekeeping missions for the United Nations are seen as intertwined with it. The Swiss electorate rejected a 1994 proposal to join UN peacekeeping operations. Despite this, 23 Swiss observers and police have been deployed around the world in UN projects.

Points of debate

The legitimacy of whether some states are as neutral as they claim has been questioned in some circles, although this depends largely on a state's interpretation of its form of neutrality.

European Union

There are five members of the European Union that still describe themselves as a neutral country in some form: Austria, Ireland, Finland, Malta and Sweden. With the development of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy, the extent to which they are, or should be, neutral is debated. For example, former Finnish Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen, on 5 July 2006, stated that Finland was no longer neutral:

Mr Pflüger described Finland as neutral. I must correct him on that: Finland is a member of the EU. We were at one time a politically neutral country, during the time of the Iron Curtain. Now we are a member of the Union, part of this community of values, which has a common policy and, moreover, a common foreign policy.

However, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä on 5 December 2017 still described the country as "militarily non-aligned" and that it should remain so. Ireland, which sought guarantees for its neutrality in EU treaties, argues that its neutrality does not mean that Ireland should avoid engagement in international affairs such as peacekeeping operations.
Since the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty, EU members are bound by, which obliges states to assist a fellow member that is the victim of armed aggression. It accords
"an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in power" but would "not prejudice the specific character of the security and defense policy of certain Member States", allowing members to respond with non-military aid.
With the launch of Permanent Structured Cooperation in defense at the end of 2017, the EU's activity on military matters has increased. The policy was designed to be inclusive and allows states to opt in or out of specific forms of military cooperation. That has allowed most of the neutral states to participate, but opinions still vary. Some members of the Irish Parliament considered Ireland's joining PESCO as an abandonment of neutrality. It was passed with the government arguing that its opt-in nature allowed Ireland to "join elements of PESCO that were beneficial such as counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and peacekeeping... what we are not going to be doing is buying aircraft carriers and fighter jets". Malta, as of December 2017, is the only neutral state not to participate in PESCO. The Maltese government argued that it was going to wait and see how PESCO develops to see whether it would compromise Maltese neutrality.

Moldova

The neutrality of Moldova is an interesting case. According to Ion Marandici, Moldova has chosen neutrality in order to avoid Russian security schemes and Russian military presence on its territory. Even if the country is constitutionally neutral, some researchers argue that de facto this former Soviet republic never was neutral, because parts of the Russian 14th army are present at Bendery, a territory de facto not controlled by Moldovan government. The same author suggests that one solution in order to avoid unnecessary contradictions and deepen at the same time the relations with NATO would be "to interpret the concept of permanent neutrality in a flexible manner". Neutrality is a constant topic in Moldovan domestic politics.

Neutrality during World War II

"Neutrality is a negative word. It does not express what America ought to feel. We are not trying to keep out of trouble; we are trying to preserve the foundations on which peace may be rebuilt.”
— Woodrow Wilson

Many countries made neutrality declarations during World War II. However, of the European states closest to the war, only Andorra, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Vatican remained neutral to the end.
Their fulfillment to the letter of the rules of neutrality has been questioned: Ireland supplied important secret information to the Allies; for instance, the date of D-Day was decided on the basis of incoming Atlantic weather information, some of it supplied by Ireland but kept from Germany. Both Axis and Allied pilots who crash landed in Ireland were interned.
Sweden and Switzerland, surrounded by possessions and allies of Nazi Germany similarly made concessions to Nazi requests as well as to Allied requests. Sweden was also involved in intelligence operations with the Allies, including listening stations in Sweden and espionage in Germany. Spain offered to join the war on the side of Nazi Germany in 1940, allowed Axis ships and submarines to use its ports, imported war materials for Germany, and sent a Spanish volunteer combat division to aid the Nazi war effort. Portugal officially stayed neutral, but actively supported both the Allies by providing overseas naval bases, and Germany by selling tungsten.
The United States was initially neutral and bound by the Neutrality Acts of 1936 not to sell war materials to belligerents. Once war broke out, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt persuaded Congress to replace the act with the Cash and carry program that allowed the US to provide military aid to the allies, despite opposition from isolationist members. The "Cash and carry" program was replaced in March 1941 by Lend-Lease, effectively ending the US pretense of neutrality.
Sweden also made concessions to the German Reich during the war to maintain its neutrality, the biggest concession was to let the 163rd German Infantry Division to be transferred from Norway to Finland by Swedish trains, to aid the Finns in the Continuation War. The decision caused a political "Midsummer Crisis" of 1941, about Sweden's neutrality.
Equally, Vatican City made various diplomatic concessions to the Axis and Allied powers alike, while still keeping to the rules of the law of neutrality. The Holy See has been criticized—but largely exonerated later—for its silence on moral issues of the war.

List of neutral countries

Note: Some countries may occasionally claim to be "neutral" but not comply with the internationally agreed upon definition of neutrality as listed above.
StatePeriod of neutralityNotes
1920–1938
1955–present
1949–present
  • Neutral since its military was dissolved in 1949.
  • Ratified by law in 2014.
    • 1935–1939 1956–present
    • An EU Member since 1995: military non-aligned, see points of debate § European Union.
    2012–present
  • In August 2012, the Government of Ghana announced that due to the death of President John Atta Mills, the state implemented a closed-neutral policy.
  • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • 2017–present
  • The National Assembly of Haiti declared armed neutrality in October 2017 after closure of MINUSTAH.
  • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • 1939–present
  • Established a policy of neutrality during World War II, known as the Emergency in Ireland.
  • *Despite this policy, Ireland made concessions to the Allies by secretly sharing intelligence and weather reports as well as by repatriating downed RAF airmen.
  • *It was believed that Ireland would take the German side if Britain attempted to invade Ireland, but would take the British side if invaded by Germany.
  • *After the war, it was discovered that Germany had drawn up plans to invade Ireland in order to use the country for launching attacks into Britain, known as Operation Green.
  • *Conversely, had Ireland been invaded, the UK had drawn up secret plans to invade Ireland in collaboration with the Irish Government to push Germany back out, known as Plan W.
  • Ireland was invited to join NATO but did not wish to be in an alliance that included Britain.
  • *Attached the condition of Irish Unification to membership.
  • *Was clear that NATO would defend Ireland in the event of war, in part because Northern Ireland belonged to Britain.
  • An EU Member since 1973: military non-aligned, see points of debate § European Union.
  • *Was granted a special acknowledgement in the Seville Declarations on the Treaty of Nice due to its views on the use of force in international politics.
    • 1947–present
  • Constitutionally forbidden from participating in wars, but maintains heavily armed self-defence forces and a close military alliance with United States
    • 1868–present
  • Neutral because the military was dissolved in 1868.
    • 1980–present
  • Policy of neutrality since 1980, guaranteed in a treaty with Italy.
  • An EU Member since 2004: military non-aligned, see points of debate § European Union.
    • 1930–present
  • With the exception of its participation on the side of the Allies in World War II.
  • Opened its borders in the 20th century to political refugees fleeing the military dictatorships of South America and Spain.
  • Since 2000, Mexico ignored the neutrality policy under foreign secretaries Jorge G. Castañeda and Luis Ernesto Derbez. Whether historical neutrality is to be kept is now internally debated. The Mexican formulation of neutrality is known as Estrada doctrine.
    • 1914–19182015–present
    • During World War I Mongolia was neutral, but became a belligerent country of World War II. In September 2015, Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj in the 70th UN General Assembly speech suddenly announced that Mongolia will implement the "policy of permanent neutrality," and called on the international community to recognise Mongolian neutrality.
    • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    1994–present
  • Article 11 of the 1994 Constitution proclaims "permanent neutrality".
    • 1989–present
  • The neutrality of the Panama Canal is enshrined by specific treaty.
  • Is member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • 2009–present
  • After the 1994 genocide, Rwanda announced permanent neutrality in 2009 after joining the Commonwealth of Nations.
  • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • 2007–present
  • The National Assembly of Serbia declared armed neutrality in 2007.
    • Serbia is the only state in the former Yugoslavia that is not seeking NATO membership. The key narrative that has been used to justify the policy is the trauma of NATO intervention in 1999 and the ensuing secession of Kosovo*, but also close relationship with the Russian Federation.
    1965–present
    • Expelled from the Federation of Malaysia, gaining independence in 1965.
    • A founding member of ASEAN alongside its south-east Asian neighbours.
    • Has not been involved in any war since independence except had an incident in 1975 when a South Vietnamese pilot flew his family out of South Vietnam as war refugees in a stolen plane from the Vietnam War as the North Vietnamese communists were taking over the South.
    • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    1814–1918 1919–present
    • First nation in the world to declare neutrality in 1814.
    • *Formally proclaimed by King Charles XIV John in 1834.
    • Sweden has not been part of a war since 1814. This makes Sweden the nation which has had the longest period of peace.
    • *Has adapted policy to protect its interests. In Second World War it allowed German forces through its territory to assist the Finns when attacked by the Soviet Red Army, while also protecting refugees from the Nazis.*An EU Member since 1995: military non-aligned, see points of debate § European Union.
    1815–present
  • Self-imposed, permanent, and armed, designed to ensure external security.
  • The 1815 Congress of Vienna re-established Switzerland and its permanent neutrality was guaranteed by Britain, France, Prussia, Russia and others.
  • Swiss neutrality was so rigorously defended that the country refused to even join the United Nations until 2002.
    • 1995–present
  • Declared its complete neutrality and had it formally recognized by the United Nations in 1995.
  • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • 2012–present
  • In 2012, the law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On approval of the Concept of foreign policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan" was adopted
  • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • 1929–present
  • The Lateran Treaty signed in 1929 with Italy imposed that "The Pope was pledged to perpetual neutrality in international relations and to abstention from mediation in a controversy unless specifically requested by all parties" thus making Vatican City neutral since then.

    • List of formerly neutral countries

    StatePeriod of neutralityNotes
    Afghanistan1914–1918
    1939–1945
    • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement
    1914–1918 1968
    • A NATO member since 2009.
    1939–1945
  • Declared neutrality at the start of the Second World War, even though it was disrupted by the threat of economic sanctions, expulsion of the League of Nations and a very likely invasion out of suspicion of alliance with Nazi Germany by the United States to persuade Argentina to declare war to the Axis, which they did in 1945.
    • 1839–1914 1936–1940
    • Neutral stance from Treaty of London until the Treaty of Versailles.
    • Proclaimed neutrality in October 1936 and severed 1921 alliance with France.
    • Neutrality abolished again after Second World War.
    • A NATO member since 1949.
    • Is a member of the European Union.
    1914–1918 1939–1945
    • In accordance with the Treaty of Punakha in 1910, Bhutan during World War II to deal with foreign relations powers to Britain, Bhutan became the de facto wartime neutral country.
    • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    1955–1970
  • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • 1864–1940
  • A NATO member since 1949.
  • A European Union member since 1973.
    • 1938–1939
  • Declared its neutrality 1938, but was thereafter forced to allow troops of the Soviet Union to enter in 1939 and was occupied by it 1940 in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.
  • A NATO and EU member since 2004.
    • Ethiopia1914–1918
  • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • Hungary1956
  • A NATO member since 1999.
  • A European Union member since 2004.
    • , now Iran1914–1918 1939–1945
    • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    Italy1914–1915
  • A NATO member since 1949.
  • EU member since 1957.
    • Laos1955–1975
  • The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos was signed in Geneva on July 23, 1962, by 14 nations, including the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. However throughout the Laotian Civil War, Laos was fighting the PAVN and Pathet Lao with the help of the United States among other anti-communist countries. Laos's neutrality can therefore be described as a "false neutrality".
  • Is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
    • 1938–1939
  • Declared its neutrality 1938, but was thereafter forced to allow troops of the Soviet Union to enter in 1939 and was occupied by it 1940 in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.
  • A NATO and EU member since 2004.
    • 1939
  • Declared its neutrality 1939, but was thereafter forced to allow troops of the Soviet Union to enter in 1939 and was occupied by it 1940 in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.
  • A NATO and EU member since 2004.
    • 1839–1914 1920–1940
    • Neutral stance since 1839, abolished through its constitution in 1948.
    • A NATO member since 1949
    • EU member since 1957
    1839–1940
  • Self-imposed neutrality between 1839 and 1940 on the European continent.
  • A NATO member since 1949.
  • EU member since 1957
    • 1814–1940
  • A NATO member since 1949.
    • 1932–1945
  • A NATO member since 1949.
  • EU member since 1986
    • 1914–1918 1940–1945
    • While neutral throughout World War I and World War II, Spain did lean towards the Axis, as evidenced by the Blue Division.
    • A NATO member since 1982.
    • EU member since 1986
    1940–1945
  • A NATO member since 1952.
    • 1914–1917 1939–1941
    1990–2014
  • Ukraine's parliament voted to drop non-aligned status on December 23, 2014.
    • In its Declaration of Sovereignty, Ukraine declared it had the "intention of becoming a permanently neutral state that does not participate in military blocs and adheres to three nuclear free principles". The 1996 Ukrainian Constitution, based upon the Declaration of Independence of August 24, 1991, contained the basic principles of non-coalition and future neutrality. Such policy of state non-alignment was re-confirmed by law in 2010.
    1940–1941
    • Although founding member of the Little Entente committed to it until its dissolution in 1938, after much German pressure Yugoslavia was forced to declare its neutrality between the Axis and Western powers.
    1949–1992
  • Ever since the Stalin-Tito split in 1949, Tito Yugoslavia became a buffer zone between the Soviet bloc and the West. Insisting in its neutrality in the Cold War, Yugoslavia became a founder and a leading force of the Non-Aligned Movement.