A non-aggression pact or neutrality pact is a treaty between two or more states/countries that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other.[1] Such treaties may be described by other names, such as a treaty of friendship or non-belligerency, etc. Leeds, Ritter, Mitchell, & Long (2002) distinguish between a non-aggression pact and a neutrality pact.[2] They posit that a non-aggression pact includes the promise not to attack the other pact signatories, whereas a neutrality pact includes a promise to avoid support of any entity that acts against the interests of any of the pact signatories. The most readily recognized example of the aforementioned entity is another country, nation-state, or sovereign organization that represents a negative consequence towards the advantages held by one or more of the signatory parties.[2]

History

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In the 19th century neutrality pacts have historically been used to give permission for one signatory of the pact to attack or attempt to negatively influence an entity not protected by the neutrality pact. The participants of the neutrality pact agree not to attempt to counteract an act of aggression waged by a pact signatory towards an entity not protected under the terms of the pact. Possible motivations for such acts by one or more of the pacts' signatories include a desire to take, or expand, control of economic resources, militarily important locations, etc.[2]

The 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany is perhaps the best-known example of a non-aggression pact. The Pact lasted until the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa.[1] However, such pacts may be a device for neutralising a potential military threat, enabling at least one of the signatories to free up its military resources for other purposes. For example, the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact freed German resources from the Russian front. On the other hand, the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact, signed on April 13, 1941, removed the threat from Japan in the east enabling the Soviets to move large forces from Siberia to the fight against the Germans, which had a direct bearing on the Battle of Moscow.

The Alliance Treaty Obligations and Provisions (ATOP) dataset records 185 agreements that are solely non-aggression pacts between 1815 and 2018.[3] According to this data, 29 such pacts were recorded in the interwar period with spikes in occurrences in 1960, 1970, 1979, and especially the early 1990s where a number of Eastern European states signed pacts following the fall of the Soviet Union.[4]

States with a history of rivalry tend to sign non-aggression pacts in order to prevent future conflict with one another. The pacts often facilitate information exchange which reduce uncertainty that might lead to conflict. Additionally, the pact signals to third party nations that the rivalry has reduced and that peaceful relations is desired.[4] It has been found that major powers are more likely to start military conflicts against their partners in non-aggression pacts than against states that do not have any sort of alliance with them.[1]

List of non-aggression pacts

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The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact (German copy)
List of non-aggression pacts
Signatories Treaty Date Signed
Delian League

  Achaemenid Empire

Peace of Callias c. 449 BCE
  Byzantine Empire
  Republic of Venice
Byzantine–Venetian Treaty of 1268 April 4, 1268
  Byzantine Empire
  Republic of Venice
Byzantine–Venetian Treaty of 1277 March 19, 1277
  Byzantine Empire
  Republic of Venice
Byzantine–Venetian Treaty of 1285 June 15, 1285
  Byzantine Empire
  Republic of Venice
Byzantine–Venetian Treaty of 1390 June 2, 1390
  Kingdom of England
  Kingdom of France
  Holy Roman Empire
  Papal States
  Habsburg Spain
Treaty of London October 3, 1518
  Republic of Lithuania
  Soviet Union
Soviet–Lithuanian Non-Aggression Pact September 28, 1926
  Kingdom of Romania
  Second Hellenic Republic
Greek–Romanian Non-Aggression and Arbitration Pact March 21, 1928[5]
  Kingdom of Afghanistan
  Soviet Union
Soviet–Afghan Non-Aggression Pact June 24, 1931[6]
  Republic of Finland
  Soviet Union
Soviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact January 21, 1932
  Republic of Latvia
  Soviet Union
Soviet–Latvian Non-Aggression Pact February 5, 1932[7]
  Republic of Estonia
  Soviet Union
Soviet–Estonian Non-Aggression Pact May 4, 1932[8]
  Second Polish Republic
  Soviet Union
Soviet–Polish Non-Aggression Pact July 25, 1932[9]
  French Third Republic
  Soviet Union
Soviet–French Non-Aggression Pact November 29, 1932
  Kingdom of Italy
  Soviet Union
Italo-Soviet Pact September 2, 1933[10]
  Kingdom of Romania
  Republic of Turkey
Romanian–Turkish Non-Aggression Pact October 17, 1933[11]
  Kingdom of Yugoslavia
  Republic of Turkey
Turkish–Yugoslav Non-Aggression Pact November 27, 1933[12]
  Nazi Germany
  Second Polish Republic
German–Polish Declaration of Non-Aggression January 26, 1934[13]
  French Third Republic
  Soviet Union
Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance May 2, 1935
  Empire of Japan
  Nazi Germany
Anti-Comintern Pact November 25, 1936
  Republic of China
  Soviet Union
Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact August 21, 1937[14]
  Imperial State of Iran
  Kingdom of Afghanistan
  Kingdom of Iraq
  Republic of Turkey
Treaty of Saadabad June 25, 1938
  First Czechoslovak Republic
  Kingdom of Hungary
  Kingdom of Romania
  Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Hungarian–Little Entente agreement August 22, 1938
  French Third Republic
  Nazi Germany
The Franco-German Declaration December 6, 1938[15][16]
  Estado Novo (Portugal)
  Spanish State
Iberian Pact March 17, 1939
  Kingdom of Denmark
  Nazi Germany
German–Danish Non-Aggression Pact [de] May 31, 1939[17]
  Nazi Germany
  Republic of Estonia
German–Estonian Non-Aggression Pact June 7, 1939[18]
  Nazi Germany
  Republic of Latvia
German–Latvian Non-Aggression Pact June 7, 1939[18]
  Nazi Germany
  Soviet Union
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact 23 August 1939
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
British–Thai Non-Aggression Pact June 12, 1940[19]
  French Third Republic
  Thailand
Franco-Thai Non-Aggression Pact June 12, 1940
  Kingdom of Hungary
  Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Hungarian–Yugoslav Non-Aggression Pact December 12, 1940
  Kingdom of Yugoslavia
  Soviet Union
Soviet–Yugoslav Non-Aggression Pact [ru] April 6, 1941
  Empire of Japan
  Soviet Union
Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact April 13, 1941
  Nazi Germany
  Republic of Turkey
German–Turkish Treaty of Friendship June 18, 1941
  People's Republic of Angola
  Zaire
  Zambia
Non-Aggression Pact of 1979 October 14, 1979
  Republic of South Africa
  People's Republic of Mozambique
Nkomati Accord March 13, 1984

Other usage

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The term has colloquial usage outside the field of international relations. In the context of association football, the term can imply a deliberate lack of aggression between two teams, such as at the Disgrace of Gijón, which, in Germany, is known as the Nichtangriffspakt von Gijón (lit. "Non-aggression pact of Gijón").[20] A non-aggression pact can also be a formal agreement or gentlemen's agreement limiting transfers for players between two or more clubs.[21][22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Krause, Volker; Singer, J. David (2001). "Minor Powers, Alliances, and Armed Conflict: Some Preliminary Patterns" (PDF). In Reiter, Erich; Gärtner, Heinz (eds.). Small States and Alliances. Bundesheer: Physica-Verlag HD. pp. 15–23. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-13000-1_3. ISBN 978-3-662-13000-1.
  2. ^ a b c Leeds, Brett; Ritter, Jeffrey; Mitchell, Sara; Long, Andrew (2002-07-01). "Alliance Treaty Obligations and Provisions, 1815-1944". International Interactions. 28 (3): 237–260. doi:10.1080/03050620213653. ISSN 0305-0629. S2CID 154842700.
  3. ^ Leeds, Brett Ashley. "Alliance Treaty Obligations and Provisions (ATOP) Codebook Version 5.0". ATOP Project. Department of Political Science, Rice University. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  4. ^ a b Lupu, Yonatan; Poast, Paul (2016-05-01). "Team of former rivals: A multilateral theory of non-aggression pacts". Journal of Peace Research. 53 (3): 344–358. doi:10.1177/0022343316630782. ISSN 0022-3433. S2CID 147877066.
  5. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 108, pp. 188-199.
  6. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 157, pp. 372.
  7. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 148, pp. 114-127.
  8. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 131, pp. 298-307.
  9. ^ Andrew Wheatcroft, Richard Overy (2009). The Road to War: The Origins of World War II. Vintage Publishers. p. 7. ISBN 9781448112395.
  10. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 148, pp. 320-329.
  11. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 165, p. 274.
  12. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 161, p. 230.
  13. ^ R. J. Crampton (1997). Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century – And After. Routledge Publishers. p. 105. ISBN 9780971054196.
  14. ^ League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 181, pp. 102-105.
  15. ^ Douglas M. Gibler (2008). International Military Alliances, 1648-2008. CQ Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-1604266849.
  16. ^ "The Franco-German Declaration of December 6th, 1938". Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  17. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 197, p. 38.
  18. ^ a b R. J. Crampton (1997). Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century – And After. Routledge Publishers. p. 105. ISBN 9781134712212.
  19. ^ Text in League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 203, p. 422.
  20. ^ "World Cup stunning moments: West Germany 1-0 Austria in 1982 | Rob Smyth". the Guardian. 2018-03-20. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  21. ^ 9SportPro (2017-07-09). "How the Madrid clubs broke their pact for youngster Theo Hernandez". Retrieved 2021-06-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Sergio Ramos and Lucas Vazquez renewals at a standstill| All Football". AllfootballOfficial. Retrieved 2021-06-26.