Démarche:
A démarche (/deɪˈmɑːrʃ/; from the French word whose literal meaning is “step” or “solicitation”) has come to refer either to
- a line of action; move; countermove; maneuver, especially in diplomatic relations, or
- formal diplomatic representation (diplomatic correspondence) of the official position, views, or wishes on a given subject from one government to another government or intergovernmental organization.
Diplomatic démarches are delivered to the appropriate official of the government or organization. Démarches generally seek to persuade, inform, or gather information from a foreign government. Governments may also use a démarche to protest or object to actions by a foreign government. Informally, the word is sometimes used as a verb to describe making or receiving such correspondence.
Noted in “Near-collision between U.S. and Russian warships in Pacific requires emergency maneuvers,” Paul Schemm and Paul Sonne, WaPo:
“The behavior is unsafe and unprofessional,” Shanahan said. “We’ll have military-to-military conversations with the Russians, and of course, we will démarche them. To me, safety at the end of the day is the most important. It will not deter us from conducting our operations.”
