ABSTRACT
The majority of states in the world, inhabited by a majority of its population, belong to the Non-Aligned Movement or have what is described in shorthand as a policy of neutrality. This chapter describes the category of neutral and non-aligned (NN) states in Europe, which has more in common than the global assembly of NN states. It focuses on how much their security postures have in common, in particular on how far their military defence systems are characterized by non-offensive defence. "Neutral" sometimes denotes a policy or an ambition, rather than a legal status. States with a policy of staying legally neutral in all conflicts where they are not attacked themselves are sometimes referred to as "neutrals". Some NN states see neutrality itself as a main protection; the emphasis is on diplomacy and the military component modest. The issue of EC membership has opened new rounds of debate in all the northern NN states.
