retaliation threat

基本解释

But the threat of retaliation was ignored: America's tariffs were America's business.
但美国政府无视可能的报复性措施的威胁：美国政府觉得关税多高是自己的事，别人管不着。
The U.S. would pay Brazilian cotton farmers $147 million a year, and Brazil would drop the threat of retaliation.
美国可以每年给巴西棉农147百万美元，巴西必须马上停止用威胁来报复美国。
When, in September 2009, America handed them a free pass to the moral high ground by imposing tariffs on tyre imports, they risked worsening the damage with a threat of retaliation.
2009年9月，美国通过对进口的中国轮胎提高关税，以此提升中国的道德水准，而后者威胁要对此进行报复，使已造成的损失有可能进一步扩大

Conversely, the winner can afford to get really dominant, as the threat of retaliation has receded.
ECONOMIST: Pornography and politics
But the CIA attack has already inspired at least one threat of retaliation.
FORBES: Testing The Limits, LulzSec Takes Down CIA's Website
America's decision to impose steel safeguards has already unleashed safeguard actions in other countries, along with the threat of retaliation.
ECONOMIST: Trade-remedy laws are damaging the world trade system

报复威胁
The retaliation threat as a mechanism has "dampening effect" onfirst-mover's retaliated action.
报复威胁作为一种机制，对先行动者的报复行为有“抑制”作用，可以降低报复行为发生的可能性。