Editing Netherlands (section)

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of the Netherlands|List of diplomatic missions of the Netherlands}}
[[File:TheHague PeacePalace 016 5771.jpg|thumb|The [[Peace Palace]] (''Vredespaleis''), in [[The Hague]]]]
The history of [[foreign relations of the Netherlands|Dutch foreign policy]] has been characterized by its [[neutral state|neutrality]]. According to the 2024 [[Global Peace Index]], Netherlands is the 18th most peaceful country in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 Global Peace Index |url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf}}</ref> Since World War II, the Netherlands has become a member of a large number of international organisations, most prominently the UN, [[NATO]] and the EU.

The [[foreign policy]] of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to [[atlanticism|Atlantic co-operation]], to [[European integration]], to [[international development]] and to [[international law]]. One of the more controversial international issues surrounding the Netherlands is its [[Drug policy of the Netherlands|liberal policy towards soft drugs]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Drug Kingpin Trial 'Ultimate Test' for Dutch Rule of Law |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/drug-kingpin-trial-ultimate-test-for-dutch-rule-of-law/6885306.html |access-date=18 July 2023 |agency=Agence France-Presse |publisher=VOA |date=21 December 2022}}</ref>

The historical ties inherited from its colonial past in [[Indonesia]] and [[Suriname]] still influence the foreign relations of the Netherlands. Many with heritage from these countries now live permanently in the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/suriname/|title=Suriname|date=6 December 2023|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|via=CIA.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=wacana|title=Indonesian political exiles in the Netherlands after 1965; Postcolonial nationalists in an era of transnationalism}}</ref>