In the Basic Game all the Neutral are not only Neutral, they are unprotected. This was done for the purpose of simplicity. For the purposes of this rule all Bright Yellow areas are Neutral, with the exception of Poland. Furthermore Sweden is also considered a Neutral for this purpose. The Naval points are ignored for this rule.
Players keep track of any change in the status of a neutral city on a piece of paper.
Once eliminated, a neutral army may not be reformed. Neutral armies may never be controlled by another player. They may only be eliminated.