Status quo
Status quo is a
Latin term meaning the present, current, existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep things the way they presently are. Compare it with
status quo ante, meaning "the state of things as it was before."
The concept of
status quo comes from the diplomatic term
status quo ante bellum, meaning "as it was before war," referring to the withdrawal of enemy troops and restoration of power to prewar leadership.
Arguing to preserve the
status quo is usually done in the context of opposing a large, often
radical change. The term frequently refers to the status of a large issue, such as the current culture or social climate of an entire
society or
nation.
Politicians sometimes refer to a
status quo. Sometimes there is a policy of deliberate ambiguity, referring to the
status quo rather than formalizing the status. An example of political ambiguity is the
political status of Taiwan.
Clark Kerr is reported to have said, "The
status quo is the only
solution that cannot be
vetoed," meaning that the
status quo cannot simply be decided against; action must be taken if it is to change.
For an application in
voting systems see the
Borda fixed point.
Sometimes specific institutions are founded to actively maintain the status quo. The
United Nations, for example, was intended to help solidify the peaceful international status quo that immediately followed
World War 2.
In
Israel, the term refers to an informal agreement conducted in 1947 between the secular leadership of the Zionist movement in
Palestine and leaders of the religious Jews, which created a framework for the establishment of the country. This agreement lays out ground rules for the relationship between state and religion in four major issues:
Shabbat, education,
Kashrut and matrimonial law. It has been more or less maintained throughout the country's existence. It might also refer to the arrangement formalized in 1852 for the division of custodianship among a number of Christian communities for various important Christian holy sites of the
Holy Land.
Laurence J. Peter is reported to have said, "
Bureaucracy defends the
status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status."
Peter Senge (1999) "...collaboration is vital to sustain what we call profound or really deep change, because without it, organizations are just overwhelmed by the forces of the
status quo."
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Establishment*
Liberal*
Conservative*
Status
