brinksmanship

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | 452 words | Copyright

brinksmanship n.the practice of pressing military or diplomatic demands right up to the point of starting a war. The term, coined in the 1950s, is used particularly to describe those actions which risk igniting a general nuclear war.

The first recorded use of this Cold War term was in a February 25, 1956, speech by Democratic presidential candidate Adlai E. Stevenson in reference to John Foster Dulles, Dwight D. Eisenhower's Secretary of State.

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"brinksmanship." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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