“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw
Sep 06, 2025
On My Mind Today:
What the hell is Brinkmanship and what could possibly be the “good of it”?
Brinkmanship is the art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, especially in politics.
Concept: “In any game of brinkmanship, it is possible that one side will collapse suddenly.” . . . and then what?
In Simple Terms: Brinkmanship is the insane attempt of trying to achieve an advantageous outcome by pushing dangerous events to the brink of active conflict.
So what is a more dangerous “game” than “all things nuclear”? Nothing . . .
I had come across the word a few times in my reading over the years, but I don’t believed I ever heard anyone say it out loud, and my general idea of it was that it sounded kind of like a mental board game — perhaps something like the wonderful game of Chess.
But when I saw this headline in this “Eurasia Review” article written about the subject and how it might relate to nuclear war, authored by Dr. Manpreet Sethi of IPCS (Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies), I decided I needed some extended education . . . and, of course, Donald J. Trump was right in the middle — in this case, the 3rd paragraph — of it all.
The short but to-the-point article that follows will enlighten you, and I hope the contents will remain with you because what “Brinkmanship” is, in this case, is a high-stakes international political game that could easily end life on planet Earth. ~llaw
- Saturday, September 6, 2025
Nuclear Brinkmanship At A New Brink – Analysis
By IPCS
By Dr Manpreet Sethi
The world commemorated 80 years of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki this August. Across the world, editorials, opinion pieces, activist marches, discussions and other events marked the occasion. On 9 August 2025, as people remembered the horrors of how 70,000 people vaporised in seconds at Nagasaki when the Fat Man exploded over the city in 1945, and pledged “No More Nagasakis,” Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was likely giving finishing touches to a speech he was going to deliver the next day at a dinner hosted by Pakistan’s honorary consul in Tampa, Florida. On 10 August, in a new level of nuclear brinkmanship, he threatened nuclear use that would take “half the world” with Pakistan. This was only the latest of many instances in which Pakistan has practiced nuclear brinkmanship. The idea of the risk of escalation into unknown and uncontrollable territory is used often as a means of deterrence.
Traditionally, the blatant use of nuclear threats has been decried as irresponsible and ascribed mostly to ‘rogue’ states. So, when the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greeted the world on 1 January 2018 with a grim reminder that “the nuclear button is always on the desk of my office” in order to signal that he could attack the US at will, the remark was taken as typical brinkmanship behaviour by an irresponsible state. The world did not realise that it was about to enter a new era of the mainstreaming of nuclear brinkmanship.
The very next day, on 2 January 2018, then US President Donald Trump retorted through a tweet, “Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” With this exchange began the casual use of language around the issue of nuclear weapons, heralding a growing acceptance of overt brinkmanship. So, nuclear weapons were no longer left to quietly talk from arsenals and behind veils, but became free to loudly signal their presence to perform coercion.
In 2022, the trend travelled to Russia when President Putin initiated the military operation against Ukraine on 22 February 2022, after having overseen elaborate and well-reported nuclear exercises three days earlier. On the fourth day of the invasion, he announced that he was raising nuclear alert levels by imposing a “special regime of combat duty.” There were reports of the deployment of nuclear submarines from the Northern Fleet. Through the ongoing operations, now into the fourth year, Russia has repeatedly drawn attention to its nuclear capability, such as by testing nuclear-capable missiles, reiterating the threat of ‘unpredictable consequences’, or by holding exercises for tactical nuclear weapons use in combat. Indeed, keeping the nuclear threat in the news has been part of the Kremlin’s nuclear strategy of deterrence.
If Europe was surprised by the re-emergence of nuclear brinkmanship in its part of the world, India wasn’t, having experienced the phenomenon often in South Asia. Since declaring itself as a state with nuclear weapons, Pakistan has used brinkmanship as its policy of first resort in every India-Pakistan crisis. Its nuclear strategy is based on the amplification of the risk of nuclear escalation to deter a conventional war with India, the possibility of which is created by Pakistan’s blatant use of terrorist organisations that it nurtures, supports, equips, and trains. There was a time when these were covert, and Pakistan used strategic deniability. Over time, however, the cover has fallen. The world is cognisant of Pakistan’s use of terrorism. Several American officialsand Pakistan’s own military and civilian leaders have acknowledged their use for perceived ‘national interests’.
In India’s experience, the presence of nuclear weapons has emboldened Pakistan’s use of cross-border terrorism, buttressed by the confidence that the fear of escalation will prevent India from taking any counter-action. Within months of its nuclear tests, the Pakistani Army undertook a bold step in 1999 by planning to have the Indian heights of Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir occupied by its regular forces in the guise of mujahideen. The underlying assumption of this military move was that India would be constrained in using force to evict the occupiers because of the risk of nuclear escalation. It would therefore be forced to accept the territorial salami-slicing. While India managed to thwart the Pakistani operation through military action, Pakistan has continued to hone its strategy of brinkmanship by adding new instruments to its toolkit. In 2011, it announced the testing of a very short-range ballistic missile to bring in the idea of tactical use of nuclear weapons against battlefield targets. In 2013, it announced a full-spectrum deterrence strategy to ostensibly suggest a range of weapons and platforms to deter India at every level of conflict. The idea of zero-km range nuclear weapons was presented in 2023. In 2025, a new brink has been breached, with Pakistan making an open threat of nuclear war to India and the world, and that too from a third country: the US. Interestingly though, there have been no responses from officials across world capitals! More or less a similar silence had followed another dangerous escalation in brinkmanship, marked by Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attacks.
As new levels of brinkmanship are breached, national leaders watch silently, sometimes making perfunctory statements. The involved parties are having to deal with the situation individually, with others opt to remain quiet, ostensibly to protect national interests. Lack of public criticism and apparent acceptance of brinkmanship behaviour can only embolden states to test new brinks. Graduating from the use of casual language, leaders could next be tempted to move towards actual deployment to communicate risk and show resolve. As psychological shows of ego, fear, and anger punctuate inter-state equations, one can expect an entangled knot that could lead to nuclear use.
With nuclear disarmament still a hazy dot on the far horizon, nuclear risks from brinkmanship are here and now. Unless loud and united public criticism is used to stop the normalisation of certain kinds of behaviours and actions, a misstep could have global repercussions. National interests may vary on many issues, but stemming the creeping acceptance of nuclear brinkmanship should be treated as a global concern to be addressed by all—irrespective of its origin.
- About the author: Dr Manpreet Sethi is Distinguished Fellow with the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) in New Delhi and Senior Research Advisor with the Asia Pacific Leadership Network (APLN).
- Source: This article was published at IPCS
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IPCS
IPCS (Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies) conducts independent research on conventional and non-conventional security issues in the region and shares its findings with policy makers and the public. It provides a forum for discussion with the strategic community on strategic issues and strives to explore alternatives. Moreover, it works towards building capacity among young scholars for greater refinement of their analyses of South Asian security.
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TODAY’S ALL NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Saturday, (09/06/2025)
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
‘New York Times’ investigates Navy SEAL mission in North Korea – KLCC
KLCC
Next Up: 3:00 PM All Things Considered. 0:00. 0:00. Science Friday. KLCC. 0 … nuclear war. So because of that, President Trump had to approve it …
Oklo CEO on plans to open a nuclear recycling facility and the future of nuclear energy – YouTube
YouTube
We got such a weak jobs number, even lower rates can’t help things, says Jim Cramer … They Eradicated All the Mice on the Island… One Year …
Putin says Western troops would be ‘legitimate targets’ if they are in Ukraine – CNN
CNN
“I believe that Russia is doing everything it can to delay the process. Our American partners told me that Putin had invited me to Moscow. In my …
Nuclear Power
NEWS
Uranium enrichment: How the surprisingly common element is processed to power reactors …
Utah News Dispatch
However, its power was not unlocked until the 20th century, when scientists discovered that uranium atoms could split via a process known as nuclear …
Trump Supports Nuclear Power as it is ‘More American’ Than Wind, Solar, US Official Says
EnergyNow.com
… energy, the director of the U.S. Energy Dominance Council said on Thursday. Jarrod Agen said nuclear power is more likely to be made from U.S. …
Nuclear Energy Generation Breaks a World Record – The National Interest
The National Interest
Nuclear Energy Now tracks the latest nuclear energy developments across technology, diplomacy, industry trends, and geopolitics.
Nuclear Power Emergencies
NEWS
Jellyfish Shutdown Nuclear Power Plant – 2ST
2ST
Picture this: You’re running one of France’s biggest nuclear power plants when suddenly, alarms start blaring and emergency lights flash everywhere.
Court restores legal shield for unpermitted air pollution – POLITICO Pro
POLITICO Pro
… plant emergencies. EPA had defined emergencies as “reasonably unforeseeable events” outside of the source’s control. How often those events occur …
Drones spotted flying over nuclear plant in Minnesota – MSN
MSN
Red Wing police officers say four to five drones were spotted flying around a nuclear plant on Wednesday.
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
NATO’s Nuclear Deterrence Under Pressure – Defence24
Defence24
We are also carefully managing the risks and opportunities arising from disruptive technologies. These technologies are altering the nature of …
Nuclear Brinkmanship At A New Brink – Analysis – Eurasia Review
Eurasia Review
nuclear war bomb … On 10 August, in a new level of nuclear brinkmanship, he threatened nuclear use that would take “half the world” with Pakistan.
Putin Orders Nuclear Forces To Be Kept On Constant Alert – MSN
MSN
… threats of nuclear war, via a video link in Moscow on October 26, 2022. ALEXEI BABUSHKIN/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images © ALEXEI BABUSHKIN/SPUTNIK …
Nuclear War
NEWS
U.N. Nuclear War Panel Launched with Hibakusha as Deputy Chair | Nippon.com
nippon.com
… nuclear war would annihilate the human race,” Tomonaga told reporters. “Without breaking away from nuclear deterrence policies, it’s impossible to …
How a Top Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission Into North Korea Fell Apart – The New York Times
The New York Times
… nuclear talks with President Trump. The … Trump had lurched erratically between letters of friendship and public threats of nuclear war.
Press Briefing on Independent Scientific Panel on Effects of Nuclear War | UN Photo
UN Media – the United Nations
… Nuclear War, established pursuant to resolution 79/238. Briefers in person were also: Dr. Sébastien Philippe, Assistant Professor of the …
Yellowstone Caldera
NEWS
What geologists discovered in Yellowstone is as beautiful as it is disturbing – Earth.com
Earth.com
Norris Geyser Basin ranks among the hottest and most changeable parts of the park. It sits within the Yellowstone Caldera, where hot fluids and gas …
Top 10 National Parks in the World According to AI – AllBusiness.com
AllBusiness.com
Geysers, hot springs, Yellowstone Lake, and the Yellowstone Caldera; Wildlife: Bison, elk, grizzly bears, wolves, and bald eagles; Activities …