| diplomatic relations involving the use or threat of military force, esp. by a powerful nation against a weaker one. |
| gunboat diplomacy n. Diplomacy involving intimidation by threat or use of military force: "in the days when gunboat diplomacy was a more accepted tool of world powers" (Christian Science Monitor). |
A policy toward a foreign country that depends on the use, or threat of the use, of arms. (See big stick diplomacy.)