unilateralism

noun

uni·lat·er·al·ism ˌyü-ni-ˈla-t(ə-)rə-ˌli-zəm

: a policy of taking unilateral action (as in international affairs) regardless of outside support or reciprocity

also : advocacy of such a policy

unilateralist

ˌyü-ni-ˈla-t(ə-)rə-list

noun or adjective

Examples of unilateralism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This trade agenda—call it pragmatic unilateralism—combines the assertiveness of Trump with the industrial policy of Biden. —

Gordon H. Hanson, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023 American unilateralism was tolerated in a unipolar world. —

Fareed Zakaria, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023 Trump’s approach to the rest of the world was a strange form of assertive unilateralism, an approach that explicitly disavowed the concept of global leadership while flexing American power, especially military might. —

Blaise Malley, The New Republic, 5 Oct. 2023 Self-serving unilateralism will be challenging to sell to allies and is predictably starting to backfire. —

Ben Harburg, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for unilateralism

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unilateralism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.