Neutrality

Neutrality is the condition of not taking sides in a dispute or conflict. It can describe a state, an institution, or a person’s position.

Permanent neutrality: A state's lasting commitment to remain neutral in future international conflicts. It makes nonalignment a standing policy rather than a response to one war.
Non-belligerence: A state's refusal to fight in a war while retaining some forms of support for a belligerent. It marks the boundary between strict neutrality and limited alignment.
Peace of Westphalia: The 1648 settlements that ended the Thirty Years' War and reshaped political order in Europe. The settlement helped establish a state-centered system in which neutrality could develop.
Impartiality: Fair treatment of parties without bias or favoritism. Impartiality concerns fairness in judgment, while neutrality concerns taking no side in a conflict.
Neutral country: A state that abstains from taking part in a particular international conflict. Its conduct shows how neutrality operates at the level of state policy.
Neutrality law: Domestic rules restricting a state's involvement in foreign wars or belligerent activity. Such laws turn a policy of noninvolvement into enforceable limits.
Hugo Grotius: A Dutch jurist whose writings helped shape early modern international law. His work addressed the legal position of states outside a war.
Nonalignment: A foreign-policy stance of avoiding formal alignment with major power blocs. Nonalignment concerns geopolitical alliances and can coexist with taking sides in a particular dispute.
Neutrality in international law: The legal rules governing states that do not participate in an international armed conflict. It specifies the rights and duties attached to neutral status during war.
Good offices: Diplomatic assistance that brings disputing parties into contact without imposing a settlement. A neutral state can use its trusted position to help opposing parties communicate.

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