Countries That Claimed Neutrality Throughout the War
They included Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan as well as the microstates of Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Vatican City.
Switzerland has the oldest policy of military neutrality in the world; it has not participated in a foreign war since its neutrality was established by the Treaty of Paris in 1815.
It is generally accepted that if belligerent forces enter neutral territory and the neutral authority is unable or unwilling to expel or intern them, the adverse party is entitled to undertake their hot pursuit and attack them there. It may even seek compensation from the neutral State for this breach of neutrality.
What is neutrality? Under international law, a country is neutral if it won't interfere in situations of international armed conflict involving other belligerent parties. It cannot allow a belligerent party to use its territory as a base of military operations, take sides or supply military equipment.
New Zealand is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and has been since 1997. Despite the political contention over ANZUS, New Zealand forces have since cooperated with U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War and in the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.
Japan's constitution states its neutrality, reading “the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.” Japan has a Self Defense Force that helps the country rebuild from disasters such as the 2010 tsunami.
As part of the British Empire, Australia was among the first nations to declare war on Nazi Germany and between 1939 and 1945 nearly one million Australian men and women served in what was going to be the Second World War.
What makes Afghanistan so difficult to capture and keep is first and foremost: the terrain. It's a giant bowl of desert, surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the world. Any army an invader can't destroy could just fade away into the mountains and lick their wounds until the next fighting season came.
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 terms of military power, the United States has the world's most powerful military, with a budget of over $740 billion in 2021. Its military includes more than 1.3 million active-duty personnel, over 8,000 tanks, and over 11,000 aircraft.
Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world in 2021, a position it has held since 2008.
''Sweden was not neutral, Sweden was weak,'' said Arne Ruth, a Swedish journalist who has written a book on the Third Reich. ''Its sales of iron ore made an important contribution to the German effort. It allowed German troops and weaponry through its territory to Norway.
The Swiss army had last fought in 1847, during the Sonderbund, a short civil war. Since then, Swiss troops had only twice been mobilised against possible invasion, when threatened by Prussia in 1856-57, and during the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War.
Sweden's previous neutrality policy had originated largely as a result of Sweden's involvement in the Napoleonic Wars during which over a third of the country's territory was lost in the Finnish War (1808–1809), including the traumatic loss of Finland to Russia.
Currently, some of the most dangerous countries in the world according to the GPI include Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Somalia, all of which are facing ongoing conflicts and high levels of violence.
Several modern armies operate nuclear weapons with ranges in the thousands of kilometers. The US is therefore vulnerable to nuclear attack by powers such as the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel (allegedly).
1. Iran. Iran is the oldest country in the world founded in 3200 B.C. and has a topography characterized by numerous mountains and mountain ranges. Iran was established as a country in 3200 B.C.
Australia's history is different from that of many other nations in that since the first coming of the Europeans and their dispossession of the Aboriginals, Australia has not experienced a subsequent invasion; no war has since been fought on Australian soil. Yet Australians have fought in ten wars.
And the German learned to fear Australians, because they were reckless, ruthless - and revengeful. During the Third Battle of Ypres, autumn 1917, the ANZAC's (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) met the Germans on high ground, in front of Polygon Wood.
One million Australians, both men and women, served in the Second World War – 500,000 overseas. They fought in campaigns against Germany and Italy in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa, as well as against Japan in south-east Asia and the Pacific.
During World War I and World War II, Switzerland maintained armed neutrality, and was not invaded by its neighbors, in part because of its topography, much of which is mountainous. Germany was a threat and Switzerland built a powerful defense.
Japan maintains diplomatic relations with every United Nations member state except for North Korea, in addition to UN observer states Holy See, as well as Kosovo, Cook Islands and Niue.
The three principal partners in what was eventually referred to as the Axis alliance were Germany, Italy, and Japan. These countries were led by German dictator Adolf Hitler, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, and Japanese Emperor Hirohito.