But beating up on neighbors is an old American trick in sports and gunboat diplomacy.
Memories of gunboat diplomacy - a phrase used often today in world capitals - run deep.
They've many powerful friends in the Federation, and gunboat diplomacy isn't going to get it done with them.
China's willingness to use bring in warships during trade disputes is reminiscent to an earlier era of American gunboat diplomacy.
In the end French rule was imposed through gunboat diplomacy.
I'm in the middle of some good old-fashioned, overbearing gunboat diplomacy here.
Then, at a council session on another matter, he accused the United States of "gunboat diplomacy."
Japan employed gunboat diplomacy to press Korea to sign this unequal treaty.
The United Nations is not an appropriate instrument of gunboat diplomacy.
As an author, he became well known for a series of his works published between 1971 and 1994 about gunboat diplomacy.