Policy of pushing a dangerous situation to its limits

• The policy of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster (to the limits of safety)
• Tactic of pushing a dangerous situation to its limits
• Negotiating tactic of taking things to the limit

Wikipedia Word definitions in Wikipedia
Brinkmanship is a term coined during the Cold War to describe the tactic of seeming to approach the verge of war in order to persuade one's opposition to retreat. It was an effective tactic because neither side of a conflict could contemplate mutually assured ...

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. the policy of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster (to the limits of safety)

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. Pursuit of an advantage by appearing to be willing to risk a dangerous policy rather than concede a point.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Word definitions in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
noun EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES ▪ political brinkmanship EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS ▪ But Browne and others Tuesday suggested that Copps might just be engaging in rhetorical brinkmanship . ▪ In any game of brinkmanship , it is possible that one side will collapse ...

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
also brinksmanship , with parasitic -s- and construction based on salesmanship , sportsmanship , etc.; from brink (the image of the brink of war dates to at least 1840).\n \nAssociated with the policies advocated by John Foster Dulles (1888-1959), U.S. ...