7.2.7.3 Putting Pressure on Other Countries – Forms of Coercion

(The latest version of this page is at Pattern Descriptions. An archived copy of this page is held at https://www.patternsofpower.org/edition02/7273.htm)

Outside the framework of formal governance, individual countries or groups of countries have several ways of protecting their interests by putting pressure on others:

· They can offer economic inducements or apply economic sanctions (3.3.7.2), without the prior agreement of the UN Security Council or the World Trade Organisation to legalise the action.

· They can choose to terminate normal diplomatic relations.

· They can use military force without the prior agreement of the UN Security Council, though there are problems with this – as discussed below (7.4.1).

· They can threaten to use such tactics.

In all these ways, countries are relying upon their own strength to achieve their objectives; they are all examples of behaviour which is categorised in this book as Self-Protection.