'brinksmanship' definitions:

Definition of 'brinksmanship'

From: GCIDE
  • brinkmanship \brink"man*ship\, brinksmanship \brinks"man*ship\n. [brink + -manship. (1956).] the policy or practise of pushing a dangerous situation to the brink of disaster (to the limits of safety), in order to achieve the most advantageous outcome; -- used especially of diplomatic maneuvers in crisis situations, and originally applied to the policies of John Foster Dulles under President Eisenhower. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]