In light of Russia’s increasing military actions throughout Europe, Sweden has reportedly
considered casting off its neutral status, and joining NATO.
Sweden has famously refused to participate in any conflicts since 1918, including both
World Wars.
So, what does it mean to be a neutral country?
Well, neutrality was spelled out in the Hague Convention of 1907, which first defined many
of the rules of war.
Generally it means that a country has declared their non-participation during a war, and
more specifically cannot be counted on to oppose a belligerent country.
A belligerent is what we call countries actively engaged in hostile warfare.
There are also non-belligerents, who take part in a war through support, but do not
actually fight.
Most countries declare neutrality on a conflict-to-conflict basis.
Some countries, notably Switzerland and Ireland, are considered permanently neutral.
Switzerland is also one of the few neutral countries to have a significant military force,
known as “armed neutrality."
Now, the main draw for declaring neutrality is the fact that no belligerent country is
allowed to invade or violate your borders during the course of the war.
In theory this works because it takes you out of the equation.
Belligerent countries know that you won’t attack them as long as they don’t attack
you.
However, this doesn’t always work.
During Word War 1, Belgium was invaded by Germany despite declaring neutrality.
Neutrality also comes with limitations in exchange for international protection.
Belligerents are expressly forbidden from using a neutral country’s land or water
to transport troops, send information, or recruit soldiers.
However, wounded soldiers are an exception, and are allowed to be transported.
Additionally, people in a neutral country who want to fight are allowed to leave the
country to do so.
This was seen with Ireland, where Irish troops fought in British ranks during World War two,
despite Ireland’s permanent neutrality.
If a belligerent does, in fact, attempt to invade a neutral country, that country can
fight back without losing its neutral status.
Technically, only Finland, Malta, Ireland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Sweden,
Turkmenistan, and the Vatican City are considered neutral.
However, not everyone agrees on the list of neutral countries.
Although Ireland acts as a permanently neutral country, it is considered more of a non-belligerent,
and is not a signatory of the Hague Convention.
A number of countries within the EU, who have never fought in conflicts, are unable to claim
neutrality due to the EU’s mutual defense policy.
This means that Austria, Finland, Malta, and Sweden are no longer expressly neutral as
EU members.
However, the implications of this issue have yet to be directly addressed during an actual
war.
Although neutrality was originally an important aspect of diplomacy, there hasn’t been a
far reaching conflict between superpowers since the cold war.
There is little threat of invasion for most countries.
With fighting limited to individual countries, neutrality looks like it can take a break
for now.
There are quite a few countries around the world that have no standing army to defend
themselves.
To check out the list, check out our video here.
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