Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the concept of neutrality, which small states have used as a way of avoiding direct conflict. Neutrality has long been seen as impartiality in war and is codified in international law as part of The Hague and Geneva Conventions. The book focuses on the long-run interactions between trade and conflicts for smaller/weaker states, shed light on the reciprocal effects between war, or times of conflict, and trade. It provides an evaluation of the role of American shipping and trade in the Mediterranean during the French Wars. The book shows how a country such as the United States could make the most of its situation and the wars in Europe to explore this trading area to its advantage. It explores how a neutrality stance was adopted, especially by Sweden, following the end of the Napoleonic Wars.