unilateralist
/juːnɪˈlat(ə)rəlɪst
/noun
1An advocate of an action or decision which affects only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of others: there can be no unilateralists in a global business world...
- He points out that the single greatest unilateralist out there is the dictator himself.
- Much of Europe still sees him as a unilateralist, the president who came into office determined to abrogate this or that treaty.
- Excuse me for being cynical, but we are all unilateralists.
1.1A supporter of the policy of abolishing nuclear weapons without waiting for other countries to do so: the unilateralists said we were in more danger of nuclear attack as long as we had nuclear bases...
- He's the latest leader to face a party rebellion over nuclear weapons, but it is often forgotten that he himself was once a unilateralist.
- The unilateralists would weaken the Western coalition now by abolishing our nuclear weapons.
- It makes no sense to argue, as do unilateralists, that abolishing nuclear weapons on one side only is a reasonable goal.
adjective
1Relating to or advocating an action or decision which affects only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of others: an aggressive, unilateralist military policy...
- He presents an even-handed look at the president's unilateralist approach to foreign affairs.
- We haven't done any unilateralist actions that had any real significance.
- His unilateralist world view, reinforced by his close advisers, cannot work in a world where global cooperation is necessary.
1.1Relating to or advocating the policy of abolishing nuclear weapons without waiting for other countries to do so: unilateralist disarmament policies...
- If it had failed to win Britons to its unilateralist strategy, it had helped to make its goal—a nuclear-free world—an inescapable part of public opinion.
- Labour won the 1964 elections, but it did so without adopting a unilateralist platform or other solid commitment to CND.
- Although this put the group in the position of opposing the nuclear program, it was careful to take a balanced approach and stress that it was not unilateralist.
