Old Tactic in International Politics: Expert Explains the Purpose of Nuclear Escalation in the World
Military expert Oleh Starikov explained that global powers are currently engaging in nuclear escalation to gain concessions — but if no one yields, catastrophe will follow, Politeka reports.
He discussed this on his channel.
As of November 2025, the expert notes, the world is experiencing a revival of nuclear fear exchanges. This, he says, is the strategy of brinkmanship — a tactic in international politics where conflicting sides deliberately escalate tensions using nuclear weapons to intimidate opponents and force concessions without actually resorting to a real strike.
“A classic example is the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the USSR and the USA brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, but eventually stepped back to avoid mutual destruction.
The essence of this approach lies in psychology — sides exchange fears, emphasizing the risks of escalation through public statements, military exercises, or tests.
It’s not a rational calculation, since a nuclear war would destroy everyone; it’s a game of emotions, coincidences, and loss of control — like a game of chicken, where the first to swerve loses, but continuing leads to catastrophe,” Starikov explains.
The game of chicken, the expert notes, is a metaphor from game theory, often used to describe risky strategies in international politics — especially in the context of nuclear deterrence, ultimatums, and conflict escalation.
The game models a situation in which two drivers race toward each other on the same road and must choose:
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if both swerve — both lose face but stay alive;
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if one swerves — that one loses to the other;
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if neither swerves — catastrophe.
“In a political context, the game of chicken describes a situation where two states or coalitions escalate tensions, threatening each other — for example, by troop deployments, ultimatums, or sanctions — hoping that the opponent will back down first to avoid catastrophe: war, economic collapse, or a nuclear strike,” concludes Oleh Starikov.
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