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
Aylwin	['eilwin]
Rosana	-	Portuguese
GÜLİStan	-	Turkish
Zdravko	-	Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian
Patterson	['pætəsən]
Inocencio	ee-no-THEN-thyo (Spanish), ee-no-SEN-syo (Latin American Spanish)	Spanish