These denote types of agreements or political adjustments between two or more nations. Treaty is the general term for a formal, signed contract that is drawn up after diplomatic negotiations and in accordance with the rules of international law. Treaties may end wars, provide for the purchase of territory, or contain provisions to ensure peace. Many treaties are named after the places in which they are ratified: the Treaty of Westphalia: The Treaty of Versailles.

In recent times, pact has been frequently substituted for treaty : the Warsaw Pact ; the Anzus Pact . In general, pact often suggests a less important and less binding agreement than does treaty . One would always refer to a decision to cease international hostilities as a treaty , but an agreement concerning regulation of trade between otherwise friendly countries is likely to be called a pact . In its wider meaning, pact is any convenant made between two or more persons or groups in which each agrees to carry out a certain action: a pact between owners of rival stores to charge fair prices; a suicide pact .

Entente , a shortened form of "entente cordiale," a French term meaning understanding, is an informal compact, rather than a treaty, between governments with reference to the conducting of foreign affairs or co-operation in the event of military aggression from without. An entente may or may not be set down in the form of a document; it may simply be a pledge made between heads of state.

Détente suggests a more negative situation than does entente, since a détente is a lessening in, or a suspension of, strained relations between governments, especially after a military crisis has been narrowly averted. A détente may be uneasy and temporary, or it may lead eventually to an entente .

Coexistence , a fairly new word in diplomacy, is the simultaneous existence, through a policy of mutual non-interference, of two or more nations differing widely in ideology. Coexistence differs from an entente in that it is a more or less neutral state of affairs, often implying mere forbearance for the sake of preventing outright war. Coexistence may come into being after a détente ; on the other hand, it may be the forerunner of an entente .