ABSTRACT
The relationship between force and diplomacy is among the most difficult questions in international security, both as a field of study and in policy. Are they distinct choices – pursue diplomacy or use force? Or, at least in some instances, is it a matter of striking a balance between them? Coercive diplomacy, as reflected in the very terminology, manifests the latter approach. Scholars who study it as well as policymakers who practise it seek to determine how best to strike the balance between coercion, including the threat or use of limited military force, and diplomacy. The objective is to understand the scope and the limits of its utility at both the theoretical and the policy level. This chapter starts with a core definition of coercive diplomacy, drawing especially on
the work of Alexander George as well as others. Distinctions between coercive diplomacy and other force-diplomacy concepts and strategies are then drawn; major theories are reviewed that explain its success and failure, including pertinent case data and other empirical information; and the implications for policy and further research are considered.
