power politics
- political activity, as by an officeholder, characterized by the use of power, influence, etc., usually in ways regarded as somewhat unethical, to effect a desired result
- international political relations in which each nation attempts to increase its own power and interests by using military or economic coercion
See power politics in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun (used with a sing. or pl. verb) International diplomacy in which each nation uses or threatens to use military or economic power to further its own interests: “The Cold War undermined the Wilsonian dream of a world beyond power politics” (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.)
Origin:
Origin: Translation of German Machtpolitik
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