brinkmanship
BRINGK-mun-ship
/ˈbrɪŋkmənʃɪp/
The practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the verge of disaster or war to force an opponent to concede.
Relying on calculated risk, brinkmanship forces the adversary to back down out of fear of catastrophic mutual destruction.
The story behind the word. Coined in 1956 by US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles during the Cold War. Dulles famously stated in an interview: 'The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is the necessary art... If you are scared to go to the brink, you are lost.' Journalists quickly dubbed this high-stakes policy 'brinkmanship'.
Word relationships
- gambling: Gambling relies on chance, whereas brinkmanship uses intentional high-stakes threats to force a psychological surrender.
- posturing: Posturing is empty bluffing, while brinkmanship involves genuine, dangerous proximity to real catastrophe.
- appeasement: Appeasement surrenders to demands to avoid conflict, whereas brinkmanship escalates tension to compel the enemy to surrender.
- compromise: Compromise seeks middle ground, while brinkmanship pushes to the absolute edge to force total concession.
Commonly confused with
- deterrence: Deterrence aims to maintain stability by discouraging attacks; brinkmanship actively heightens crisis to force concessions.
Word family
- brink (noun): The extreme edge of land before a steep slope or cliff.
Collocations
- nuclear brinkmanship
- political brinkmanship
- diplomatic brinkmanship
- engage in brinkmanship
Idioms & expressions
- playing chicken
- walking on the edge of the precipice
Example sentences
- "The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 remains the classic historical example of nuclear brinkmanship between superpowers." Nuclear History
- "Both political parties engaged in fiscal brinkmanship, pushing budget talks to the midnight deadline before reaching an agreement." Legislative Negotiations
Memory hook
Standing on the BRINK of a cliff, daring the other guy to push you. Walking to the edge of war.
When not to use
Do not use for careless recklessness; brinkmanship is a deliberate, highly calculated diplomatic maneuver.
Fun facts
- Adlai Stevenson popularized the term in 1956 when he criticized John Foster Dulles for 'boasting of playing Russian roulette with the life of our nation... brinkmanship'.
Related words
Explore more words
deterrence, appeasement, realpolitik, belligerence, provoke, take a risk
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