Armistice

An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is derived from the Latin arma, meaning weapons and stitium, meaning a stopping.

Related Topics:
War - Latin

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A truce or "ceasefire" usually refers to a temporary cessation of hostilities for an agreed limited time or within a limited area. A truce may be needed in order to negotiate an armistice.

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An armistice is a modus vivendi and is not the same as a peace treaty, which may take months or even years to agree on. The 1953 Korean War armistice is a major example of an armistice which has not yet been followed by a peace treaty.

Related Topics:
Modus vivendi - Peace treaty - Korean War

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The United Nations Security Council often imposes or tries to impose cease-fire resolutions on parties to modern conflicts. Armistices are always negotiated between the parties themselves and are thus generally seen as more binding than non-mandatory UN cease-fire resolutions in modern international law.

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