The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 letter word UNCLE SAM
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
U
N
C
L
E
S
A
M
More clues leading to the result UNCLE SAM
- America’s masculine representation, one for export
- Just the fellow for US!
- Relative across the Atlantic
- Answer male supporting relatives in the US government
- A French PM informally retaining attraction for America
- Muscleman losing face, when sacked in ‘Trump country’
- Using muscle, an active America
- Relatives, American, in the US government
- Pulled a muscle touring North America
- Typical statesman, one making advances to Cameron
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "powerful nation’s government" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case powerful nation’s government = uncle sam.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.