Naval diplomacy here means using or threatening limited maritime force to secure an advantage or prevent a loss without opening a full-scale war. The term reaches beyond a literal gunboat. A cruise-missile strike, carrier air operation, or marine landing can serve the same diplomatic purpose, including a landing in which no one fires. This broad definition provides the common test for the three Victorian cases that follow.
Chapter · 2:03-3:05
Naval diplomacy and limited force
Naval diplomacy uses limited maritime force, or the threat of it, to gain an advantage or avert a loss without opening a full-scale war.