stay on the sidelines

to not be actively involved in something

Usage notes: The sidelines are the lines that mark the edges of a sports field.

The majority of western countries decided to stay on the sidelines during the crisis in the Middle East.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Nastja	-	Slovene
Mannes	-	Dutch
Ring	[riŋ]
Aristides	ah-ree-STEE-dhes (Spanish), ə-reesh-TEE-dəsh (Portuguese), ə-reesh-CHEE-jəsh (Brazilian Portuguese)	Ancient Greek (Latinized), Spanish, Portuguese
Dessislava	-	Bulgarian
Ignazio	-	Italian