Metonymy

Metonymy: substituting another word linked closely to the object, rather than describing or naming the actual object  

Earlier in the Cold War, Moscow rejected the plan for peaceful foreign collaboration.
-We are not actually talking about the physical city of Moscow, rather we are referring to the political center of Russia, in Moscow.

"Literary Devices | Literary Terms." Literary Devices | Literary Terms. N.p., 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.