Neutral country facts for kids

A neutral country is a nation that chooses not to pick sides in a specific war. Some countries are even permanently neutral, meaning they promise to stay out of all future fights. This also means they avoid joining military alliances like NATO.

People from neutral countries get special protection under international law during wars. They are safer than regular citizens from countries involved in the conflict or even prisoners of war.

Different countries show their neutrality in different ways. For example, Costa Rica has gotten rid of its military completely. On the other hand, Switzerland practices "armed neutrality." This means they have a strong military to protect themselves, but they don't send their soldiers to fight in other countries' wars.

Not all neutral countries avoid all foreign activities. Austria and Ireland, for instance, send soldiers to help with UN peacekeeping forces around the world. They are also part of the European Union, which is a political alliance.

What Does "Neutral" Mean?

• A neutral country in a specific war is a nation that doesn't join either side. It follows special rules under international law called the Law of Neutrality. Countries don't have to declare themselves neutral, but they often do. The rules for neutral countries are found in the Hague Convention of 1907.
• A permanently neutral power is a country that has promised, often through an international treaty, to stay neutral in all future wars. Switzerland is a famous example. This type of neutrality has strict rules for the country, but it also gives them the right to stay out of conflicts.
• Neutralism is when a country plans to stay neutral in future wars as part of its foreign policy.
• An armed neutrality means a neutral country is ready to fight back if anyone tries to attack it or break its rights during a war.
• A non-belligerent state is a country that doesn't fight in a war but might help one side politically or with supplies. For example, it might let one side use its land. This idea is not officially defined in international law.

Rules for Neutral Countries

Neutral countries have certain rights and duties during a war:

• Countries fighting a war cannot invade neutral territory. If a neutral country defends itself against an invasion, it doesn't lose its neutral status.
• A neutral country must keep enemy soldiers who enter its territory in a special camp (this is called internment). But if prisoners of war escape and reach neutral land, they don't have to be interned.
• Countries at war cannot try to recruit citizens from neutral countries. However, citizens can leave their neutral country to join a foreign army if they wish.
• War supplies or soldiers cannot be moved across neutral territory. But wounded soldiers can be transported.
• A neutral country can let countries at war use its communication systems. However, it cannot directly supply them with war materials, though it doesn't have to stop companies from exporting such materials.
• Warships can stay in a neutral port for a maximum of 24 hours. Neutral countries can set their own rules for this. If an enemy ship is already in port, the new ship must wait 24 hours before leaving.
• If a warship captures an enemy ship (called a prize) in a neutral country's waters, the captured ship must be given to the neutral country. The neutral country must then intern its crew.

How Neutrality Becomes Official

Neutrality can be recognized in different ways, sometimes with other countries promising to protect it. For example:

• The neutrality of Switzerland was agreed upon by many countries at the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
• Austria's neutrality was guaranteed by the four countries that occupied it after World War II.
• Finland's neutrality was recognized by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

These agreements can be between two countries or many countries. Sometimes, neutrality is forced on a country, like Austria's by the Soviet Union. Other times, a country actively chooses neutrality because of its situation, like Ireland during World War II.

Countries often write their neutrality rules into their own laws. Austria and Japan, for example, have neutrality rules in their constitutions. Austria cannot host any foreign military bases. Japan cannot join foreign wars. However, Sweden, which didn't have formal laws about neutrality, was more flexible during World War II, allowing troops to pass through its land.

Armed Neutrality

Switzerland is a well-known example of a country that is not part of any military alliance but keeps a strong army to protect itself.

Armed neutrality is when a country doesn't join any side in a war but has a strong military ready to defend itself. The idea is to make any attacker think twice, because the cost of invading would be too high.

This means:

• A country is ready for military action but hasn't promised to join any side.
• It's the stated policy of a neutral nation during wartime to be ready to fight back if its rights are violated by any country involved in the war.
• Armed neutrality means a seemingly neutral country takes up arms to protect its neutrality.

The idea of armed neutrality comes from the First League of Armed Neutrality in the late 1700s. This was when countries like the Nordic countries and Russia teamed up to protect their ships during the American Revolutionary War.

Sweden and Switzerland are famous for their armed neutrality. They kept this stance through both World War I and World War II. Switzerland hasn't been in an international war since 1815, and Sweden since 1814. Even so, Switzerland is very active in international affairs, often helping with peace efforts around the world. As one expert, Edwin Reischauer, said, "To be neutral you must be ready to be highly militarized, like Switzerland or Sweden."

Some neutral countries choose to have very small militaries, only for home defense. Others, like Liechtenstein, have no military at all. But having no military doesn't always mean neutrality. Countries like Costa Rica and Iceland rely on stronger allies or defense agreements instead of their own armies.

Historical Groups of Armed Neutrality

• The First League of Armed Neutrality was formed in 1780 by Catherine II of Russia. It was an alliance of smaller naval powers that wanted to protect their ships during the American Revolutionary War. This league helped shape international maritime law that is still used today.
• The Second League of Armed Neutrality tried to restart this idea during the French Revolutionary Wars in 1800-1801. It included Denmark-Norway, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia. They wanted to protect their ships from the British Royal Navy. However, Britain saw this as taking sides with France and attacked Denmark in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, forcing the alliance to break up.
• A possible Third League of Armed Neutrality was discussed during the American Civil War, but it never happened.

Neutrality and Peacekeeping

Irish soldiers on UN patrol in the Golan Heights.

For many neutral countries, like Ireland, neutrality doesn't mean staying out of all international issues. They see Peacekeeping missions for the United Nations as a part of their neutrality. Even though Swiss voters said no to joining UN peacekeeping in 1994, Switzerland still sends observers and police to UN projects worldwide.

Debates About Neutrality

Sometimes, people question if certain countries are truly as neutral as they claim. This often depends on how a country defines its own neutrality.

European Union and Neutrality

Three members of the European Union still consider themselves neutral: Austria, Ireland, and Malta. As the EU develops its Common Security and Defence Policy, there's a debate about how neutral these countries can or should be.

For example, Ireland, which has special agreements about its neutrality in EU treaties, says that its neutrality doesn't stop it from being involved in international matters like peacekeeping.

Since the Lisbon Treaty, EU members are required to help another member that is attacked. This means they must provide "aid and assistance by all the means in [other member states'] power." However, it also says this rule "would not prejudice the specific character of the security and defense policy of certain Member States" (meaning neutral policies). This allows neutral members to offer non-military help. Ireland's constitution actually prevents it from joining a common defense.

The EU has also increased its military activities with the launch of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in 2017. This program lets countries choose which military cooperation projects they want to join. Most neutral states have participated. However, some members of the Irish Parliament felt that joining PESCO went against Ireland's neutrality. The Irish government argued 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." As of December 2017, Malta was the only neutral state not to join PESCO, saying it wanted to see how it developed first.

Neutrality During World War II

Many countries declared neutrality during World War II. But only a few European countries near the war stayed neutral until the end: Andorra, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (with Liechtenstein), and Vatican City (the Holy See).

However, how strictly they followed the rules of neutrality has been questioned:

• Ireland secretly gave important information to the Allies, like weather reports that helped decide the date of D-Day. It also secretly allowed Allied planes to use the Donegal Corridor to attack German U-boats. But both Axis and Allied pilots who crashed in Ireland were held until the war ended.
• Sweden and Switzerland, surrounded by Nazi Germany and its allies, made some deals with both the Nazis and the Allies. Sweden also helped the Allies with intelligence.
• Spain offered to join Nazi Germany in 1940, allowed Axis ships to use its ports, and sent a volunteer division to help the Nazis.
• Portugal officially stayed neutral but helped both the Allies (with naval bases) and Germany (by selling tungsten).
• The United States was initially neutral and had laws against selling war materials. But President Franklin Delano Roosevelt changed these laws to allow the US to help the Allies with programs like "Cash and Carry" and later "Lend-Lease," which effectively ended its neutrality.
• Sweden also allowed the 163rd German Infantry Division to travel through its territory by train to help Finland in the Continuation War. This caused a political crisis in Sweden.
• Vatican City also made diplomatic deals with both sides while trying to follow the Law of Neutrality.

Countries That Say They Are Neutral

Some countries say they are "neutral," but they might not follow the international rules for neutrality exactly.

Country	Neutral Period(s)	Notes
Andorra	1914–present	Neutral during World War I and World War II. It was a smuggling route between Vichy France and Spain. Joined the United Nations in 1993.
Austria	1955–present (Declaration of Neutrality)	Main article: Declaration of Neutrality Its neutrality is required by its Constitution of Austria and a 1955 treaty. Cannot join military alliances or have foreign military bases. An EU Member since 1995: It is "military non-aligned."
Costa Rica	1949–present	Neutral since its military was ended in 1949. This was made law in 2014.
Ghana	2012–present	Tried to be neutral during the Cold War, officially neutral since 2012.
Haiti	2017–present	Neutral since 2017.
Ireland	1939–present	Main article: Irish neutrality Declared neutrality during World War II, known as the Emergency. Secretly shared intelligence and weather reports with the Allied Powers. Was invited to join NATO but didn't want to be in an alliance with the United Kingdom. An EU Member since 1973: It is "military non-aligned." Has sent military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Liechtenstein	1868–present	Its military was ended in 1868.
Malta	1980–present	Neutrality policy since 1980, guaranteed by a treaty with Italy. An EU Member since 2004: It is "military non-aligned."
Mexico	1945–present	Has a history of opening its borders to political refugees. Its neutrality policy is known as the Estrada Doctrine.
Moldova	1994–present	Main article: Moldovan neutrality Its 1994 Constitution says it is "permanently neutral."
Monaco	1945–present	Joined the United Nations in 1993.
Mongolia	2015–present	Neutral during World War I, but fought in World War II. In 2015, its President announced a "policy of permanent neutrality." A member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Panama	1990–present	The neutrality of the Panama Canal is protected by a special treaty. A member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Rwanda	2009–present	Declared permanent neutrality in 2009 after joining the Commonwealth of Nations. A member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
San Marino	1945–present	Main article: Battle of San Marino Neutral during World War I. Declared neutrality in 1939, but after being occupied by Nazi Germany in 1944, it joined the British to fight them off. Joined the United Nations in 1992.
Serbia	2007–present	Its parliament declared armed neutrality in 2007. It is the only former Yugoslavian state not seeking NATO membership.
Switzerland	1815–present	Main articles: Swiss neutrality and Switzerland during the World Wars Its neutrality is self-chosen, permanent, and armed, meant to keep the country safe. Its permanent neutrality was guaranteed by major powers in 1815. It refused to join the United Nations until 2002. However, Swiss forces did participate in the U.S.-led War in Afghanistan. It adopted sanctions against Russia in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine.
Turkmenistan	1995–present	Declared complete neutrality and had it recognized by the United Nations in 1995. A member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Uzbekistan	2012–present	Adopted a law on its foreign policy concept in 2012. A member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Vatican City	1929–present	Main article: Vatican City during World War II The Lateran Treaty of 1929 made the Pope promise to be permanently neutral in international relations. An observer of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Countries That Used to Be Neutral

See Also

• Buffer state
• Dual loyalty
• European Union–NATO relations
• International humanitarian law
• Neutral powers during World War II
• Non-belligerent
• Non-interventionism
• Policy of deliberate ambiguity
• Strategic autonomy
• Third World
• Neutral and Non-Aligned European States