Definition of "nation-building" []

• Unifying the people or peoples within a state so that it remains politically stable and viable in the long run (noun)

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• "No one in the Obama administration uses the phrase "nation-building," but that is, of course, precisely what they are trying to do - or some lesser version of it."
• "5. During the cold war, the term nation-building was primarily used by the leaders in the developing world to describe their task of building independent nations out of those emerging from colonialism."
• "Speaking January 5 alongside his Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the president announced a shift in strategy for the American military, one that emphasizes aerial campaigns and proxy wars as opposed to "long-term nation-building with large military footprints.""