At Constantinople and Algeciras, prepared and decisive force gave diplomacy room to work. Alexandria illustrates the opposite: a force arriving in dribs and drabs invited doubt and then had to fight before it was ready. The intended Anglo-French display at Alexandria also lost credibility when the French withdrew, leaving Britain to carry a threat designed for a combined force. Hard power, soft power, image, and political decisiveness worked together rather than as separate tools.
Chapter · 1:33:27-1:40:38
The danger of an in-between naval presence
The central rule offered here is to signal interest with a deliberately small force or demonstrate resolve with overwhelming force, but not to drift between them.