Cowboy diplomacy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. Overtly provocative phraseology typically centralizes the message, such as George W. Bush's "You're either with us or you're with the terrorists." Theodore Roosevelt's "Speak softly and carry a big stick" was engraved on a bronze plaque on Donald Rumsfeld's office desk in the Pentagon and has set the modern precedent. [1]
[edit] Fiction
The term was resurrected in its historical context by Captain Jean-Luc Picard in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. At the beginning of "Unification, Part II", Picard used the term to criticize Ambassador Spock's alarming actions to propagate peace between the Vulcans and Romulans by clandestinely traveling to Romulus and educating young people there about Vulcan culture. The Romulan Empire is a notoriously closed society. Spock had risked his life and without consulting any legal authorities first. Consequently, he posed a security risk to the Federation and many became concerned that he defected. The use of "cowboy" was a double entendre, describing both Spock's peaceful adventurousness and his scare of the Federation and its allies. This frustrated Spock considerably, since scaring people was precisely what he sought to avoid by being covert. [2]
[edit] References
- ^ History Debunks Bush Myth by Jim Lobe
- ^ Script of "Unification, Part II" Star Trek Minutiae
