mutual defense pact
Shared protection agreement
A mutual defense pact is an agreement between nations to come to each other's aid if attacked.
The principle is collective security: an attack on one is treated as an attack on all.
NATO is the most prominent example.
Such pacts aim to deter aggression by making the cost of attacking any member prohibitively high: The mutual defense pact meant that invading one small country risked war with a dozen.
- allianceFormal union of parties
- military allianceMutual defense agreement between nations
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- NATOWestern defense organization
- pactFormal agreement between parties
coalition · allied forces · allies · security · military · agreement · treaty obligations · collective · sovereignty · pledge · obligation · protection · nuclear umbrella · solidarity · bloc · partnership · signatories · ratification
- agreementshandshake, contract, nod, accords, verbal consent
- Diplomatic Agreementspeace treaty, peace accord, peace agreement, peace deal, accord
- diplomatic documentstreaty, accord, communique, protocol, diplomatic note
- military alliancesNATO, Warsaw Pact, allied powers, military alliances, Triple Entente
- Peace TreatiesTreaty of Versailles, Treaty of Paris, Versailles Treaty, peace accord, Treaty of Westphalia
- treatiestreaty, treaties, peace treaty, peace treaties, bilateral treaty
mutual defense pactdeclaration of war
Formal announcement of hostilities
act of war · arms race · cold war · belligerence · enmity
mutual defense pactneutrality
State of taking sides
non-alignment · isolationism · neutrality pact · Swiss neutrality · unilateralism
mutual, mutually, mutuality, defense, defend, defender, defensive, defensively, defensible