Gunboat Diplomacy

Abstract

Gunboat diplomacy refers to a form of diplomacy in which a state uses naval force to bombard, blockade, or coerce a state of proportionally lesser power in order to achieve a foreign policy end. Gunboat diplomacy is different from a naval demonstration because the latter refers to blue‐water naval displays of force, whereas the former relates to littoral zones around a state such as coastlines, harbors, and rivers. The term itself only came into use in the early part of the twentieth century. However, the use of gunboat diplomacy reached its zenith in the nineteenth century with the development of the gunboat and the ascendency of Western powers over the rest of the world. More broadly, gunboat diplomacy has come to signify the use of limited military force applied by larger states over smaller states for political objectives.