Fact check: Are there any countries that have never been expansionist

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal a complex picture regarding countries that have never been expansionist. Several sources identify countries that avoided Western colonialism, which provides some insight into non-expansionist nations. According to the sources, countries like Bhutan, Iran, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand successfully avoided being colonized by Europeans ^[1].

Additionally, Poland is specifically mentioned as "a significant European country without a past as a colonial power in Africa, Asia, or South America" ^[2], suggesting it has not engaged in traditional expansionist activities. The Global Peace Index identifies the most peaceful countries including Iceland, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Singapore ^[3], though this measures current peace rather than historical expansionism.

However, the sources primarily focus on countries that avoided being colonized rather than countries that never engaged in expansionist behavior themselves. This distinction is crucial, as avoiding colonization doesn't necessarily mean a country never expanded its own territory or influence.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses lack several critical perspectives on expansionism:

• Different definitions of expansionism: The sources conflate avoiding colonization with being non-expansionist, but countries can expand through other means including territorial conquest, economic influence, or cultural expansion
• Historical timeframes: Many countries listed as "never colonized" may have engaged in expansionist activities in different historical periods or regions
• Scale and scope: The analyses don't distinguish between major imperial expansion versus smaller territorial adjustments or regional influence
• Modern forms of expansion: Contemporary economic, technological, or soft power expansion isn't addressed

The sources also fail to provide comprehensive historical analysis of whether countries like Ethiopia, Thailand, or Nepal engaged in their own territorial expansion or regional dominance at various points in history.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question assumes that some countries have never been expansionist, which may be historically inaccurate. The framing suggests a binary classification that doesn't account for:

• Degrees of expansionism: Most nations have engaged in some form of territorial, economic, or cultural expansion at different scales
• Historical complexity: Even countries that avoided European colonization may have expanded within their own regions or engaged in conquest of neighboring territories
• Definitional challenges: The question doesn't specify what constitutes "expansionist" behavior, leading to potential confusion between avoiding colonization and never expanding

The analyses themselves show bias by focusing heavily on European colonialism as the primary measure of expansionism ^{[1] [4]}, while ignoring other forms of expansion by non-European powers throughout history.