nonintervention
noun
non·in·ter·ven·tion
ˌnän-ˌin-tər-ˈven(t)-shən 
: the state or policy of not intervening
nonintervention in the affairs of other countries
Examples of nonintervention in a Sentence
The country has adopted a policy of nonintervention.
Recent Examples on the Web
Any future presence in Ukraine would signal a major shift in Chinese foreign policy away from decades of nonintervention.
—
Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
By the 1970s, the global South had organized under various groupings, including the G-77 at the UN, to achieve significant victories: decolonization became enshrined in international law and the principle of nonintervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states emerged as a global norm.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
President-elect Donald Trump called for nonintervention in Syria, blaming the escalating situation on former President Barack Obama.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Dec. 2024
More than the United States’ devastating military capabilities, what really shocked leaders in Beijing was the ease with which Washington could dismiss matters of sovereignty and nonintervention, notions that were staples of the very international order the Americans had coaxed China to join.
—Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2024
Not all acknowledgments of moral fault, though, are rightly understood as ways of arguing in favor of neutrality or nonintervention.
—Michael Blake, The Conversation, 31 May 2024
Unlike that of so many Latin American nations, Chile’s military had a lengthy tradition of respect for constitutional rule, with smooth transitions between presidencies guaranteed by its strict nonintervention in political affairs.
—Ariel Dorfman, The New York Review of Books, 31 Aug. 2023
In standard accounts, the Peace of Westphalia, concluded in 1648, was the founding moment of the modern system of nation-states, establishing sovereignty as an absolute right and the principle of nonintervention in the domestic affairs of other countries.
—Thomas Peak, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
The third option is nonintervention.
—Kennedy Sessions, Chron, 3 Mar. 2023
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Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
By the 1970s, the global South had organized under various groupings, including the G-77 at the UN, to achieve significant victories: decolonization became enshrined in international law and the principle of nonintervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states emerged as a global norm.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
President-elect Donald Trump called for nonintervention in Syria, blaming the escalating situation on former President Barack Obama.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Dec. 2024
More than the United States’ devastating military capabilities, what really shocked leaders in Beijing was the ease with which Washington could dismiss matters of sovereignty and nonintervention, notions that were staples of the very international order the Americans had coaxed China to join.
—Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2024
Not all acknowledgments of moral fault, though, are rightly understood as ways of arguing in favor of neutrality or nonintervention.
—Michael Blake, The Conversation, 31 May 2024
Unlike that of so many Latin American nations, Chile’s military had a lengthy tradition of respect for constitutional rule, with smooth transitions between presidencies guaranteed by its strict nonintervention in political affairs.
—Ariel Dorfman, The New York Review of Books, 31 Aug. 2023
In standard accounts, the Peace of Westphalia, concluded in 1648, was the founding moment of the modern system of nation-states, establishing sovereignty as an absolute right and the principle of nonintervention in the domestic affairs of other countries.
—Thomas Peak, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
The third option is nonintervention.
—Kennedy Sessions, Chron, 3 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Nonintervention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonintervention. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nonintervention
noun
non·in·ter·ven·tion
ˌnän-ˌint-ər-ˈven-chən
1
: the state or habit of not intervening
2
: refusal or failure to intervene
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