Cold peace
Boutros Boutros-Ghali coined the phrase cold peace in late 1982 while serving as a junior foreign minister. He later rose to become UN Secretary-General but used these words to describe a specific diplomatic state. The term refers to treaties that end active warfare yet leave deep domestic hostility intact between nations. Governments may sign documents, but their populations often treat those agreements with vocal disgust. This condition differs from a cold war where states support proxy conflicts against each other's allies. A cold peace does not involve formal incursions or open fighting between client states. It exists when peace remains only on paper while trust evaporates within societies.
The Camp David Accords established a formal treaty between Egypt and Israel after five prior wars. Egyptian and Israeli populations grew weary of loss of life before negotiations began. Public support for the agreement plummeted following the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. Further damage occurred during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Perception of the treaty has never recovered among the Egyptian populace since then. Hosni Mubarak retained the treaty terms from 1981 until his ouster in 2011. State media played public sentiment against Israelis and Jews under his rule. Protesters voiced strong opposition to the 1979 treaty after Mubarak left power. Five Egyptian security personnel died in Sinai during retaliatory air raids on Gaza. Pan-ethnic and religious fundamentalist sympathies exist in Egypt for Palestinians against Israel. Most letter of both accords and treaty remained maintained despite this lack of spirit.
Eight Mossad agents entered Jordan using fake Canadian passports on the 27th of September 1997. They attempted to assassinate Khaled Mashal who headed Hamas. Two agents injected poison into Mashal's ears inside his office. King Hussein prepared for a thirty-year truce three days before the attempt. Jordanian police held the two captured agents while six others hid in the embassy. King Hussein met with an Israeli delegate but felt someone spat in his face. He threatened to annul the peace treaty if Israel did not provide an antidote. Bill Clinton intervened to get Israel to reveal the antidote name. The Mossad operatives were released only after Israel agreed to free twenty-three Jordanian prisoners. King Abdullah II later described relations as a cold peace that keeps getting colder. An interview from 2010 confirmed relations reached their lowest point since the original treaty. Land known as Al Ghamr transferred back to Jordanian control on the 10th of November 2019. King Abdullah II warned Israel not to change holy site status during a December 2022 CNN interview.
Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran maintained a truce after their war ended. Relations between the two countries remained frozen throughout the period from 1989 until 2003. Normalization never occurred despite the ceasefire agreement signed by both sides. Diplomatic ties stayed dormant until the Ba'athist regime fell during the Iraq War. No formal normalization process began while Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq. The truce existed without any attempt to build deeper cooperation or trust. Both nations kept distance while officially ending active hostilities. This state persisted for over a decade before political upheaval changed the landscape.
Numerous clashes over Kashmir have occurred between India and Pakistan for decades. Long-term ceasefires exist alongside minimum communication channels maintained by both nations. Hostilities persist even when fighting stops temporarily near the Line of Control. Communication remains limited despite periods of calm. The situation reflects a cold peace where treaties do not translate into genuine reconciliation. Both governments maintain diplomatic distance while avoiding full-scale war. Tensions remain high enough to prevent normalizing relations completely. The status quo continues with periodic outbreaks of violence interrupting quiet periods.
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Common questions
Who coined the phrase cold peace and when did he use it?
Boutros Boutros-Ghali coined the phrase cold peace in late 1982 while serving as a junior foreign minister. He later rose to become UN Secretary-General but used these words to describe a specific diplomatic state.
What defines a cold peace compared to a cold war?
A cold peace refers to treaties that end active warfare yet leave deep domestic hostility intact between nations. This condition differs from a cold war where states support proxy conflicts against each other's allies because a cold peace does not involve formal incursions or open fighting between client states.
Why did public support for the Camp David Accords plummet after Anwar Sadat died?
Public support for the agreement plummeted following the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. Further damage occurred during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, causing perception of the treaty to never recover among the Egyptian populace since then.
How did King Hussein respond to the Mossad agents entering Jordan on the 27th of September 1997?
King Hussein threatened to annul the peace treaty if Israel did not provide an antidote for Khaled Mashal who was poisoned by two agents inside his office. Bill Clinton intervened to get Israel to reveal the antidote name and the Mossad operatives were released only after Israel agreed to free twenty-three Jordanian prisoners.
When did land known as Al Ghamr transfer back to Jordanian control?
Land known as Al Ghamr transferred back to Jordanian control on the 10th of November 2019. King Abdullah II later warned Israel not to change holy site status during a December 2022 CNN interview regarding relations that he described as a cold peace that keeps getting colder.