cold war

Hostile but bloodless

A cold war is a state of political hostility between countries that stops short of actual armed conflict, characterized by propaganda, economic pressure, espionage, and proxy wars rather than direct military engagement.

The term captures the tension of warlike conditions without the heat of combat: The tech giants are locked in a cold war over market dominance. (Capitalized Cold War refers to the U.S.-Soviet standoff.)

geopolitics

superpowers

Capabilities beyond human limits

bipolarityTwo-pole condition
containmentPreventing hostile expansion
spheres of influenceAreas of dominant authority

satellite states · buffer zone · non-aligned · bloc · détente · brinkmanship · proxy war · standoff · escalation · confrontation

tactics

propaganda

Biased information for influence

disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
espionageCovert intelligence gathering
economic pressureFiscal force to compel

sanctions · covert operations · subversion · ideological warfare · infiltration · surveillance · proxy conflict

Categories

WarsWorld War I, WWI, civil war, Korean War, Gulf War
geopoliticsbalance of power, bipolarity, bloc, blocs, brinkmanship
John le CarréKarla, espionage, MI6, British intelligence, double agents
rivalriesenemy, nemesis, derby, opponent, competitor

Opposites

conflict intensity

cold warhot war

Active armed combat

shooting war · armed conflict · military conflict · total war · military engagement

international relations temperature

cold warpeace

Freedom from disturbance

alliance · détente · entente · rapprochement · cooperation

conflict visibility

cold wardeclared war

Formally announced military aggression

conventional warfare

Family

coldness, colder, coldest, cold front, cold shoulder

Familiarity: Top 100,000
Profile: Known to kids · Timeless · Abstract · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG