statecraft

state·craft | \ ˈstāt-ˌkraft

How to pronounce statecraft (audio)

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Definition of statecraft

: the art of conducting state affairs

Examples of statecraft in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Diplomats dealing with the crisis, for instance, are conducting much of their statecraft on Twitter. — Luiz Romero, Quartz, "The US-Iran crisis is playing out in real time among officials on Twitter," 6 Jan. 2020 Even so, the fantasy of World War III helped hide the reality of what war had become: a tangled mess of statecraft, profiteering, and politicking. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "World War III Is an Irresistible Meme," 5 Jan. 2020 But if soft power were as effective a tool of statecraft as its advocates claimed, no doubt Tibet would have gained some measure of autonomy by now. — Taylor Dinerman, National Review, "The End of the Soft-Power Delusion," 31 Dec. 2019 Chanakya’s Arthashastra and Chanakya Neeti are more comprehensive works of statecraft and politics than Machiavelli’s Prince. — Anand Neelakanthan, Quartz India, "Who exactly was Chanakya, the ancient genius that wily Indian politicians are being compared with?," 20 Dec. 2019 Failed statecraft Negotiations between the European Union and Britain over Brexit appeared close to collapse. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 10 Oct. 2019 In recent decades, the abiding feature of American statecraft has been grandiosity, with military activism camouflaging a loss of strategic realism. — Andrew J. Bacevich, Twin Cities, "Andrew Bacevich: Trump’s reluctance to bomb foreign countries is a strength, not a sign of weakness," 4 July 2019 For the last five years, Western leaders and analysts have often projected onto China an image of their preferred imaginings, rather than one reflecting the actual statements of China’s own leaders, or in the physical evidence of Chinese statecraft. — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "The Age of Miscalculation," 19 Aug. 2019 For China, a relationship with Russia is a foreign relationship like others—an important one, a complex one, but a matter of statecraft. — The Economist, "But their new partnership makes China a lot more equal than Russia," 25 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'statecraft.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

18 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Statecraft.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/statecraft. Accessed 20 January 2020.

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