gunboat diplomacy

noun

1. diplomatic relations involving the use or threat of military force, especially by a powerful nation against a weaker one.

gunboat diplomacy

noun

1. diplomacy conducted by threats of military intervention, esp by a major power against a militarily weak state

gunboat diplomacy

1. A policy toward a foreign country that depends on the use, or threat of the use, of arms. ( See big stick diplomacy .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of gunboat diplomacy¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

In the early 2000s, the Danes twice dispatched frigates with soldiers to the island, in what Robert Huebert, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, called an example of gunboat diplomacy.

From Washington Post

With the era of gunboat diplomacy long over, the U.S. is unlikely to deploy troops in the aftermath of the brazen slaying Wednesday of President Jovenel Moïse in an overnight raid at his home.

From Seattle Times

Once upon a distant time, this would have been called "gunboat diplomacy" and naval vessels would have been the instruments of choice for such missions.

From Salon

Experts see Turkey’s hardline rhetoric against Armenia as part of Turkey’s aspirations for global and regional leadership and Ankara’s increasing efforts to resolve disputes through “gunboat diplomacy.”

From Seattle Times

The increasing militarism abroad mirrors Mr. Erdogan’s combative personality, his taste for gunboat diplomacy and the belief that flexing his military gives him a place at the table with the big powers.

From New York Times