< German Diktat compulsion, imposition, command, order (19th cent., especially in political contexts), dictation (of a text) (18th cent.; 17th cent. as dictata) < classical Latin dictātumdictate n. Compare earlier dictate n.
1. A severe settlement or decision, esp. one imposed by a victorious nation upon a defeated nation.
Originally spec. with reference to the Treaty of Versailles of 1919.
2. A decree, ruling, or directive; a categorical assertion or prescription. (OED)
"Ben Gurion had vowed to keep the Sinai for a thousand years, but Benzion was convinced that he would lose it. Why? Ben Gurion asked.
'Because the U.S. will force you to,' the elder Netanyahu said.
'Of course, he was right, unfortunately,' the son said. 'That was the first and last time an Israeli Prime Minister succumbed to an American diktat.'
This ingrained wariness toward Israel’s most stalwart ally and benefactor is just part of Netanyahu’s inheritance."
- David Remnick, "A Man, A Plan", 21 March 2011 The New Yorker
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