释义 |
gunboat diplomacy The settling of disputes with weaker states by the threat of use of force. The phrase derives from the Victorian empire, in which gunboats and other naval vessels were often utilized to coerce local rulers to accept the terms and trade of British merchants. The history of the British navy in the 19th century provides many examples, including the threatened bombardment of Athens at the time of the Don Pacifico affair (1850). Later examples include the use of carrier-borne forces in Tanzania and the Persian Gulf in the 1960s. |