Cold War ( general term ) - wikipedia Cold War ( general term ) This article is about the general term for a type of international conflict. For the specific conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States, see Cold War. Part of a series on War History Prehistoric Ancient Post-classical Early Modern Late Modern Industrial Fourth - Gen Battlespace Air Cyber Information Land Mountain Sea Space Weapons Armor Artillery Biological Cavalry Chemical Conventional Cyber Electronic Infantry Nuclear Psychological Unconventional Tactics Aerial Battle Cavalry Charge Counterattack Counter-insurgency Cover Foxhole Guerrilla warfare Morale Siege Swarming Tactical objective Target saturation Trench warfare Operational Blitzkrieg Deep operation Maneuver warfare Operational manoeuvre group Strategy Attrition Counter-offensive Deception Defensive Goal Naval Offensive Grand strategy Containment Economic warfare Limited war Military science Philosophy of war Strategic studies Total war Organization Command and control Doctrine Engineers Intelligence Ranks Technology and equipment Personnel Military recruitment Conscription Recruit training Military specialism Women in the military Children in the military Transgender people and military service Sexual harassment in the military Conscientious objection Counter recruitment Logistics Arms industry Materiel Supply chain management Related Asymmetric warfare Broken - Backed War Theory Court - martial Cold war Deterrence theory Horses in warfare Irregular warfare Law of war Mercenary Military campaign Military operation Network - centric warfare Operations research Principles of war Proxy war Religious war Theater Tripwire force War crime War film War game War novel Wartime sexual violence Women in war World war Colonial war Lists Battles Military occupations Military tactics Operations Sieges War crimes Wars Weapons Writers A cold war is a state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action but is pursued primarily through economic and political actions, propaganda, acts of espionage or proxy wars waged by surrogates. This term is most commonly used to refer to the Soviet - American Cold War. The surrogates are typically states that are `` satellites '' of the conflicting nations, i.e., nations allied to them or under their political influence. Opponents in a cold war will often provide economic or military aid, such as weapons, tactical support or military advisors, to lesser nations involved in conflicts with the opposing country. Contents 1 Origins of the term 2 Tensions Labelled a Cold War 2.1 Cold War II 2.2 Middle East 2.3 South Asia 2.4 East Asia 2.5 China vs. India 3 References Origins of the term The expression `` cold war '' was rarely used before 1945. Some writers credit the fourteenth century Spaniard Don Juan Manuel for first using the term ( in Spanish ), when dealing with the conflict between Christianity and Islam as a `` cold war ''. However he used the term `` tepid '' not `` cold ''. The word `` cold '' first appeared in a faulty translation of his work in the 19th century. At the end of World War II, George Orwell used the term in the essay `` You and the Atomic Bomb '' published October 19, 1945, in the British newspaper Tribune. Contemplating a world living in the shadow of the threat of nuclear war, he warned of a `` peace that is no peace '', which he called a permanent `` cold war ''. Orwell directly referred to that war as the ideological confrontation between the Soviet Union and the Western powers. Moreover, in The Observer of March 10, 1946, Orwell wrote that `` ( a ) fter the Moscow conference last December, Russia began to make a ' cold war ' on Britain and the British Empire. '' The definition which has now become fixed is of a war waged through indirect conflict. The first use of the term in this sense, to describe the post -- World War II geopolitical tensions between the USSR and its satellites and the United States and its western European allies ( which in practice acted as satellites of the opposing force ) is attributed to Bernard Baruch, an American financier and presidential advisor. In South Carolina, on April 16, 1947, he delivered a speech ( by journalist Herbert Bayard Swope ) saying, `` Let us not be deceived : we are today in the midst of a cold war. '' Newspaper reporter - columnist Walter Lippmann gave the term wide currency, with the book Cold War ( 1947 ). Tensions labelled a Cold War Since the NATO - Warsaw Pact Cold War ( 1945 -- 1991 ), a number of global and regional tensions have also been called `` Cold War. '' Cold War II Main article : Cold War II Cold War II, also called Second Cold War, Cold War 2.0, or the New Cold War refers to a renewed state of political and military tension between opposing geopolitical power - blocs, with one bloc typically reported as being led by Russia or China, and the other led by the United States or NATO. This is akin to the original Cold War that saw a global confrontation between the Western Bloc led by the United States and the Eastern Bloc led by the Soviet Union, Russia 's predecessor. Middle East See also : Arab Cold War, Iran -- Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, Qatar -- Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, and Iran -- Israel proxy conflict An Atlantic Council member Bilal Y. Saab, an About.com writer Primoz Manfreda, an Iranian scholar Seyyed Hossein Mousavian and a Princeton University scholar Sina Toossi, journalist Kim Ghattas, Foreign Policy journalist Yochi Dreazen, Brookings Institution researcher Sultan Barakat, and Newsweek journalist Jonathan Broder use the term `` cold war '' to refer to tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In February 2016, a University of Isfahan professor Ali Omidi dismissed the assumptions that the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia would grow tense. South asia A commentator Ehsan Ahrari, a writer Bruce Riedel, a political commentator Sanjaya Baru and a Princeton University academic Zia Mian have used the term `` cold war '' since 2002 to refer to long - term tensions between India and Pakistan, which were part of the British India until its partition in 1947. East asia See also : Korean conflict A Naval Postgraduate School academic Edward A. Olsen, a British politician David Alton, a York University professor Hyun Ok Park, and a University of Southern California professor David C. Kang used the term to refer to tensions between North Korea and South Korea, which have been divided since the end of World War II in 1945. They interchangeably called it the `` Korean Cold War ''. China 's Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng, The Diplomat editor Shannon Tiezzi, and The Guardian columnist Simon Tisdall used the term to refer to tensions between China and Japan. China 's state - run newspaper Global Times says that China and Japan `` are stuck in a state of ' cold peace ' and ( m ) ust avoid sliding into a cold war. '' China vs India Imran Ali Sandano of the University of Sindh, Arup K. Chatterjee of the Jindal Global Law School, journalist Bertil Lintner, writer Bruno Maçães, politician - lawyer P. Chidambaram, and some others use the terms like `` new cold war '' to refer to growing tensions between China and India. References Jump up ^ Simon Dalby ; Gearoid O.u Tuathail ( 2002 ). Rethinking Geopolitics. Routledge. p. 67. Jump up ^ Kort, Michael ( 2001 ). The Columbia Guide to the Cold War. Columbia University Press. p. 3. Jump up ^ Geiger, Till ( 2004 ). Britain and the Economic Problem of the Cold War. Ashgate Publishing. p. 7. Jump up ^ Orwell, George, The Observer, March 10, 1946 Jump up ^ Gaddis 2005, p. 54 Jump up ^ Safire, William ( October 1, 2006 ). `` Islamofascism Anyone ? ''. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 25, 2008. Jump up ^ History.com Staff ( 2009 ). `` This Day on History - April 16, 1947 : Bernard Baruch coins the term `` Cold War '' ``. A + E Networks. Retrieved August 23, 2016. Full quote in the context of industrial labor problems in the United States of America in 1947 which could only solved, according to Bernard Baruch, through `` unity '' between labor and management which in return would give the United States the power to play its role as the major force by which, in the words of Baruch, `` the world can renew itself physically or spiritually. '' : `` Let us not be deceived - we are today in the midst of a cold war. Our enemies are to be found abroad and at home. Let us never forget this : Our unrest is the heart of their success. The peace of the world is the hope and the goal of our political system ; it is the despair and defeat of those who stand against us. We can depend only on ourselves. '' Jump up ^ Lippmann, Walter ( 1947 ). Cold War. Harper. Retrieved 2008 - 09 - 02. Jump up ^ Dmitri Trenin ( 4 March 2014 ). `` Welcome to Cold War II ''. Foreign Policy. Graham Holdings. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Jump up ^ As Cold War II Looms, Washington Courts Nationalist, Rightwing, Catholic, Xenophobic Poland, Huffington Post, 15 October 2015. Jump up ^ Mackenzie, Ryan ( 3 October 2015 ). `` Rubio : U.S. ' barreling toward a second Cold War ' ''. The Des Moines Register. USA Today. Retrieved 28 January 2016. Jump up ^ Bovt, George ( 31 March 2015 ). `` Who Will Win the New Cold War ? ''. The Moscow Times. Retrieved 28 January 2016. Jump up ^ Trenin, Dmitri ( 2 March 2014 ). `` The crisis in Crimea could lead the world into a second cold war ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Cold war 2.0 : how Russia and the west reheated a historic struggle ''. The Guardian. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016. Jump up ^ Eve Conant ( 12 September 2014 ). `` Is the Cold War Back ? ''. National Geographic. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Jump up ^ Simon Tisdall ( 19 November 2014 ). `` The new cold war : are we going back to the bad old days ? ''. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 4 February 2015. Jump up ^ Philip N. Howard ( 1 August 2012 ). `` Social media and the new Cold War ''. Reuters. Reuters Commentary Wire. Retrieved 2 August 2016. Jump up ^ Powell, Bill. `` A New Cold War, Yes. But It 's With China, Not Russia ''. Newsweek.com. Newsweek. Retrieved 16 April 2016. Jump up ^ Saab, Bilal Y. ( 18 October 2016 ). `` Why an Iran - Saudi Arabia Conflict Is More Likely Today Than Ever Before ''. Newsweek. Retrieved 18 October 2016. Jump up ^ Manfreda, Primoz. `` Iran and Saudi Arabia -- Middle East Cold War ''. About.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016. Jump up ^ Mousavian, Seyyed Hossein ; Toossi, Sina ( 19 September 2016 ). `` Ending the Iran - Saudi Cold War ''. LoebLog. Retrieved 18 October 2016. Jump up ^ Ghattas, Kim ( 15 July 2015 ). `` The Saudi Cold War With Iran Heats Up ''. Foreign Policy. Retrieved 18 October 2016. ( subscription required ) Jump up ^ Dreazen, Yochi ( 27 March 2015 ). `` In Yemen, the Middle East 's cold war could get hot ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 October 2016. Jump up ^ Barakat, Sultan ( 22 June 2016 ). `` Is the Iranian - Saudi ' cold war ' heating up ? How to reduce the temperature ''. Brookings Institution. Retrieved 11 July 2016. Jump up ^ Broder, Jonathan ( 11 January 2016 ). `` The Loser of the Cold War Between Iran and Saudi Arabia May Be Obama ''. Newsweek. Retrieved 11 July 2016. Jump up ^ Omidi, Ali ( February 2016 ). `` Five reasons why Iran - Saudi conflict wo n't escalate ''. Al - Monitor. Retrieved 18 October 2016. Jump up ^ Ahrari, Ehsan ( 21 June 2002 ). `` Similarity breeds contempt : India and Pakistan ''. Asia Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016. Jump up ^ Riedel, Bruce ( 26 May 2014 ). `` Indian and Pakistani Leaders Seek to End Their Cold War, but Will the ' Deep State ' Allow Peace ? ''. The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 December 2016. Jump up ^ Baru, Sanjaya ( October 2016 ). `` An Indo - Pak Cold War ''. The Indian Express. Retrieved 6 November 2016. Jump up ^ Mian, Zia ( 7 December 2016 ). `` Kashmir, climate change, and nuclear war ''. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Retrieved 9 December 2016. Jump up ^ Olsen, Edward A. ( 1992 ). `` Korean Security : Is Japan 's ' Comprehensive Security ' Model a Viable Alternative ? ''. In Doug Bandow ; Ted Galen Carpenter. The U.S. - South Korean Alliance : Time for a Change. New Brunswick, New Jersey : Transaction Publishers. p. 140. Retrieved 5 March 2017. Jump up ^ Olsen, Edward A. ( 2013 ) ( 2002 ). US National Defense for the Twenty - first Century : Grand Exit Strategy. Routledge. pp. 115 -- 116. ISBN 0 - 7146 - 5098 - 6. LCCN 2002073300. Retrieved 5 March 2017. Jump up ^ Alton, David ; Rob Chidley ( 2013 ). `` Marshall Aid for Korea ''. Building Bridges : Is there hope for North Korea ?. Lion Hudson. p. 185. Retrieved 5 March 2017. Jump up ^ Hyun Ok Park ( 2015 ). The Capitalist Unconscious : From Korean Unification to Transnational Korea. Columbia University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978 - 0 - 231 - 17192 - 2. LCCN 2015010090. Retrieved 5 March 2017. Jump up ^ Kang, David C. ( 31 December 2010 ). `` Korea 's New Cold War ''. The National Interest. Retrieved 4 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` China Lashes Out at Japan 's New Defence Plan, Says Tokyo Maintaining ' Cold War Mentality ' ''. NDTV. Associated Press. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2016. Jump up ^ Tiezzi, Shannon ( 25 January 2016 ). `` The New Cold War : China vs Japan ''. The Diplomat. Retrieved 8 November 2016. Jump up ^ Tisdall, Simon ( 17 January 2005 ). `` Sino - Japanese ' cold war ' stirs new tensions ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2016. Jump up ^ `` China, Japan must avoid slide into cold war ''. Global Times. Jump up ^ Sandano, Imran Ali ( 29 October 2017 ). `` Threat of new cold war looms ''. Asia Times. Retrieved 18 April 2018. Jump up ^ Chatterjee, Arup K. ( 29 June 2017 ). `` Are India and China heading towards a cold war over railways ? ''. Jindal Global Law School. Retrieved 18 April 2018. Jump up ^ Lintner, Bertil ( December 2017 ). `` India, China Conflict Is New Cold War in the Indian Ocean ''. Businessworld ( Interview ). Retrieved 18 April 2018. Jump up ^ Maçães, Bruno ( 14 February 2018 ). `` India and China 's dangerous tug - of - war for the top of the world ''. Politico. Retrieved 18 April 2018. Jump up ^ Chidambaram, P. ( 1 April 2018 ). `` Across the Aisle : One - man band can not make music ''. The Indian Express. Retrieved 18 April 2018. Jump up ^ Korybko, Andrew ( 13 June 2017 ). `` The Chinese -- Indian New Cold War -- Conclusions ''. Jump up ^ `` After US - Russia Cold War, Are India -- China Headed Towards the Same Path ? ''. The EurAsian Times. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018. 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Question: what kind of war is the cold war
Answer: a state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action but is pursued primarily through economic and political actions, propaganda, acts of espionage or proxy wars waged by surrogates