peace dividend

noun

1. money cut by a government from its defense budget as a result of the cessation of hostilities with other countries.

peace dividend

noun

1. additional money available to a government from cuts in defence expenditure because of the end of a period of hostilities

Word History and Origins

Origin of peace dividend¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

In the era of "liberal peace", an agreement to end a civil war was the drafting of a democratic constitution, along with measures for disarming and demobilising rival armies, transitional justice and reconciliation, and aid-funded programmes to deliver a peace dividend for the afflicted populace.

From BBC

Kennedy, 70, has previously bemoaned how the “peace dividend” — anticipated with the easing of tensions with the former Soviet Union in the 1980s — did not result in a bigger shift of government funding toward domestic affairs.

From Los Angeles Times

In the years after the Cold War, many western countries reaped a peace dividend.

From BBC

A “peace dividend“? Who needed that?

From Salon

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed glaring weaknesses in Europe’s arms manufacturing capacities that were neglected in the wake of the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and the promise of a peace dividend in Europe.

From Seattle Times