Threat Power is one of three forces identified by Kenneth Boulding, Quaker peace theorist and economist, that can play a role in human interaction. Underlying Threat Power is a simple equation: ‘Unless you perform or yield X, I will do Y.’ Y almost always involves violence, whether physical, emotional, psychological or structural. Threat Power has attained a tragic prominence in our culture. The diplomatic actions of most industrialized countries, for example, operate on the assumption of Threat Power.

See also:
Exchange Power
Integrative Power