Subterfuge

The subtlety of this modern empire building puts the Roman centurions, the Spanish conquistadors, and the (...) European colonial powers to shame. Today we do not carry swords. We do not wear armor or clothes that set us apart. (...) It is how the system works. We seldom resort to anything illegal because the system itself is built on subterfuge, and the system is by definition legitimate.

Source: tatoeba (3391032)

Republicans have gone to insane lengths to suppress votes, discount them, make it hard to vote, and discourage voting through subterfuge, and are now allowing state legislatures to disregard election results entirely.

Source: tatoeba (11166522)

I apologize for the subterfuge.

Source: tatoeba (11478991)

Overt subterfuge in a region nearly caused a minor accident.

Source: wiktionary