Editing War (section)

== Pauses ==
{{main|Ceasefire|Armistice}}

During a war, the parties may agree to pauses. A ceasefire is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party.<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Fortna |first=Virginia Page |title=Peace Time: Cease-Fire Agreements and the Durability of Peace |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-691-18795-2 |location= |pages= |oclc=1044838807}}</ref> Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal [[treaty]] but also as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces.<ref name=":02">{{Citation |last=Forster |first=Robert A. |title=Ceasefires |date=2019 |pages=1–8 |editor-last=Romaniuk |editor-first=Scott |publisher=Springer |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-74336-3_8-2 |isbn=978-3-319-74336-3 |s2cid=239326729 |editor2-last=Thapa |editor2-first=Manish |editor3-last=Marton |editor3-first=Péter |encyclopedia=The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies}}</ref> A ceasefire can be temporary with an intended end date or may be intended to last indefinitely. A ceasefire is distinct from an [[armistice]] in that the armistice is a formal end to a war whereas a ceasefire may be a temporary stoppage.<ref>{{cite web | last=Fortna | first=Page | title=Ceasefires are fragile: Can Israel and Hamas find peace? | website=Good Authority | date=2025-01-17 | url=https://goodauthority.org/news/good-to-know-what-is-a-ceasefire-israel-hamas/ | access-date=2025-05-03}}</ref>

The immediate goal of a ceasefire is to stop violence but the underlying purposes of ceasefires vary. Ceasefires may be intended to meet short-term limited needs (such as providing humanitarian aid), manage a conflict to make it less devastating, or advance efforts to peacefully resolve a dispute.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last1=Clayton |first1=Govinda |last2=Nygård |first2=Håvard Mokleiv |last3=Rustad |first3=Siri Aas |last4=Strand |first4=Håvard |date=2023 |title=Ceasefires in Civil Conflict: A Research Agenda |journal=Journal of Conflict Resolution |language=en |volume=67 |issue=7–8 |pages=1279–1295 |doi=10.1177/00220027221128300 |issn=0022-0027 |s2cid=252793375 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=20.500.11850/576568}}</ref> An actor may not always intend for a ceasefire to advance the peaceful resolution of a conflict but instead give the actor an upper hand in the conflict (for example, by re-arming and repositioning forces or attacking an unsuspecting adversary), which creates [[Bargaining model of war|bargaining problems]] that may make ceasefires less likely to be implemented and less likely to be durable if implemented.<ref name=":33">{{Cite book |last=Fortna |first=Virginia Page |title=Peace Time: Cease-Fire Agreements and the Durability of Peace |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-691-18795-2 |location= |pages= |oclc=1044838807}}</ref><ref name=":22" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sosnowski |first=Marika |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/redefining-ceasefires/AEDBE40203BCD110435E69E19D931BF3 |title=Redefining Ceasefires: Wartime Order and Statebuilding in Syria |date=2023 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-009-34722-8 |doi=10.1017/9781009347204}}</ref>

The durability of ceasefire agreements is affected by several factors, such as demilitarized zones, withdrawal of troops and third-party guarantees and monitoring (e.g. [[peacekeeping]]). Ceasefire agreements are more likely to be durable when they reduce incentives to attack, reduce uncertainty about the adversary's intentions, and when mechanisms are put in place to prevent accidents from spiraling into conflict.<ref name=":33" />