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'''Cowboy diplomacy''' is a term used by critics to describe the resolution of international conflicts through brash risk-taking, [[intimidation]], military deployment, or a combination of such tactics. It is criticized as stemming from an overly-simple, [[Splitting (psychology)|dichotomous]] world view. Overtly provocative [[phraseology]] typically centralizes the message, such as [[George W. Bush]]'s "You're either with us or you're with the terrorists."
[[File:Jim Irsay & George W. Bush 20070423-6 d-0847-513h.jpg|thumb|right|Cowboy diplomacist [[George W. Bush]]]]
One of the earliest known applications of the term was in 1902, when it was used by Jackie Lawlor from Westford, Massachustts and the [[United States|American]] press to describe [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s foreign policies. Roosevelt had at the time summarized his approach to international diplomacy as "Speak softly and carry a big stick",<ref>{{cite book |last=Harrell |first=David Edwin |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Unto a Good Land: A History of the American People |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |edition= |series= |volume= |year=2005 |year= |month= |publisher=[[Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company]] |location=[[Grand Rapids]] |language= |isbn=0802829457 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= |chapter=The United States in World Affairs, 1900-1920 |chapterurl= |quote= }}</ref> an adage that was engraved on a bronze plaque on [[Donald Rumsfeld]]'s office desk in the Pentagon and has set the modern precedent.<ref name=TR>[http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=4171 History Debunks Bush Myth] by Jim Lobe</ref>
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Revision as of 08:06, 17 June 2011
Cowboy diplomacy is a term used by critics to describe the resolution of international conflicts through brash risk-taking, intimidation, military deployment, or a combination of such tactics. It is criticized as stemming from an overly-simple, dichotomous world view. Overtly provocative phraseology typically centralizes the message, such as George W. Bush's "You're either with us or you're with the terrorists."
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Jim_Irsay_%26_George_W._Bush_20070423-6_d-0847-513h.jpg/220px-Jim_Irsay_%26_George_W._Bush_20070423-6_d-0847-513h.jpg)
One of the earliest known applications of the term was in 1902, when it was used by Jackie Lawlor from Westford, Massachustts and the American press to describe U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policies. Roosevelt had at the time summarized his approach to international diplomacy as "Speak softly and carry a big stick",[1] an adage that was engraved on a bronze plaque on Donald Rumsfeld's office desk in the Pentagon and has set the modern precedent.[2]
The term has since also been applied to the presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan[3] and George W. Bush.
Use in fiction
The term was resurrected in its historical context by Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a 1991 episode of the American television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the second episode of the two-part story "Unification", Picard describes the actions of Spock in covertly attempting to negotiate a peace treaty between the Vulcans and the Romulans as "cowboy diplomacy", although in this context the term was referring to Spock's mission to Romulus lacking official sanction from the United Federation of Planets or Vulcan.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Harrell, David Edwin. "The United States in World Affairs, 1900-1920". Unto a Good Land: A History of the American People. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 0802829457.
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(help) - ^ History Debunks Bush Myth by Jim Lobe
- ^ Ramet, Sabrina P. (2002). "The United States and Europe". Coming in from the Cold War: changes in U.S.-European Interactions since 1980. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 4. ISBN 0742500179.
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