Saber-rattling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saber-rattling is the term used to describe the showing of a country's military strength, usually directed towards another country. The term originates from a historical incident in Chile where a group of young military officers protested against the Chilean political class by rattling their sabers. It has also been noted that in many instances, opponents in the sport of fencing rattle their saber swords prior to a match.
In a sense, strategically-timed war games can serve as an explicit form of saber-rattling, in that the extent of a country's military muscle is put up on display for other countries (namely, adversaries) to see.
One example of saber-rattling was the Cold-War era of nuclear testings between the United States and the USSR.
