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Definition of "back channel" []

  • A means by which actions, especially in government and diplomacy, are carried out secretly rather than through regular avenues of communication. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "back channel" in a sentence
  • "Rice established a back channel to Dov Weissglas, Sharons chief of staff and close friend, which she used to good practical effect to goad Israel."
  • "Kissinger employed a secret back channel with the Soviet ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Dobrynin, and negotiated there many of the key arms control issues."
  • "And it was followed in September by another agreementalso completed through the back channel by Kissinger and Ambassador Kenneth Rushon the perennial Cold War issue of the two Germanys and the status of West Berlin."