coercive diplomacy
Threatening foreign policy
Coercive diplomacy is the use of threats—military, economic, or political—to compel another state to change its behavior without actually going to war.
The strategy combines pressure with negotiation: The sanctions were part of a coercive diplomacy campaign to force nuclear disarmament.
Unlike pure military action, it leaves room for the target to comply and avoid consequences.
- threatsDeclarations of intended harm
- red linesNon-negotiable boundaries
- ultimatumsFinal non-negotiable demands
- brinkmanshipPushing conflicts to disaster's threshold
- saber rattlingThreatening military action ostentatiously
big stick · trade wars · deterrence · sanctions · crisis management · nuclear option · arms race · non-state actors · diplomatic isolation · show of force · regime change · economic pressure · hard power · international organizations · fait accompli · intelligence agencies · psychological warfare · cyber operations
- foreign policydiplomatic negotiations, sanctions, containment, deterrence, isolationism
- diplomacyembassy, ambassador, ambassadors, treaty, treaties
- geopoliticsbalance of power, bipolarity, bloc, blocs, brinkmanship
- coercionduress, coercing, compelling, threat, forcing
- Nuclear Armsnuclear arms, nukes, atom bomb, nuclear warheads, hydrogen bombs
coercive diplomacydiplomatic engagement
Official contact between governments
economic incentives · voluntary agreement · appeasement · conciliation
coercive diplomacyrapprochement
Reestablishment of harmonious relations
conflict mediation · reconciliation · détente · consensus-building · equal partnership
coercive diplomacysoft power
Influence through appeal
persuasion · voluntary agreement · cultural diplomacy · moral suasion · engagement