gunboat diplomacy

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

gunboat diplomacy (countable and uncountable, plural gunboat diplomacies)

1. (idiomatic) The pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power.
   • 1956 Dec. 3, Acclaim & Misgivings, Time:

     The British and French, who had sought to make policy by reviving 19th century gunboat diplomacy, had temporarily lost their credentials for world statesmanship.

   • 2004 Feb, 21, Yan Hua, China warns Taiwan with military exercises, Asia Times Online (retrieved 23 March 2015):

     China has ratcheted up its standard gunboat diplomacy—the repeated warnings that it would use force if necessary to unite the island and mainland—more than a month before Taiwanese voters go to the polls.

Related terms

• commodity diplomacy
• diplomacy
• gunboat
• hostage diplomacy
• panda diplomacy
• ping-pong diplomacy

 

Translations

the pursuit of foreign policy objectives by display of military power

• Danish: kanonbådsdiplomati n
• Finnish: tykkivenediplomatia (fi)
• French: diplomatie de la canonnière f, politique de la canonnière f
• Hebrew: דִּיפְּלוֹמַטְיָה שֶׁל סְפִינוֹת תּוֹתָחִים (he) f (diplomatia shel sfinot totakhim)
• Ukrainian: диплома́тія каноне́рок f (dyplomátija kanonérok)

See also

• sabre rattling
• show the flag