status quo

The phrase itself is an abbreviation of the Latin status quo ante bellum, which literally means "the situation before the war." The term was actively used by diplomats back in the XIV century, when wars in Europe did not subside. But today these words are used without being applied to military operations, and their direct meaning is a return to the original state. And the term "status quo" is already used not so much by the military as by lawyers. In international practice, they say this about a certain legal or factual state of affairs existing at some point, which needs to be preserved or returned to it. In politics, the status quo can also mean some kind of uncertainty that makes it impossible to form an official status. People or countries may see changes in some area as mutually undesirable, fearing that the scales may risk tipping in the wrong direction. However, this term is used not only by lawyers and politicians, but also by psychologists and economists.