Confidence-building measures

How it is used

Shortened to CBMs. Used in security talks, arms control and peace processes, for example after a ceasefire. Some cover non-military areas such as trade, culture or people-to-people contacts. The OSCE term is 'confidence- and security-building measures' (CSBMs).

Example sentences

1. The two sides agreed on a package of confidence-building measures, including a military hotline.

2. Confidence-building measures can prepare the ground for formal negotiations.

3. Advance notice of large military exercises is a common example of confidence-building measures.

Common collocations

• agree on confidence-building measures
• package of confidence-building measures
• military confidence-building measures
• CBMs

Related terms

• security dilemmaA situation in which one state's efforts to make itself safer, such as buying weapons, make other states feel less safe, so they respond and overall insecurity rises.
• arms controlAgreements and measures between states that limit the number, types, testing or use of weapons, especially nuclear weapons, in order to reduce the risk of war.
• escalationAn increase in the intensity, size or danger of a conflict or crisis, for example when one side's action leads the other to respond more strongly.
• ceasefireAn agreement between the sides in an armed conflict to stop fighting, either for a limited time or as a first step towards a lasting peace.

More terms: Conflict & Security

• conflict
• alliance
• collective security
• deterrence
• peacekeeping
• non-proliferation