Mutual assured destruction (MAD), principle of deterrence founded on the notion that a nuclear attack by one superpower would be met with an overwhelming nuclear counterattack such that both the attacker and the defender would be annihilated. The doctrine heavily influenced the Cold War’s defining trait of indirect conflict.
Brinkmanship
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) and brinkmanship are tied to the state of affairs during the Cold War, especially during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The United States and Soviet Union had thousands of nuclear weapons capable of destroying each other at a moment’s notice. To effectively leverage their position, both nations attempted to push situations towards the brink of active conflict to force the opponent to back down and make concessions.
Although Mutually Assured Destruction deterred a direct invasion, with brinkmanship, the chance of a nuclear exchange increased dramatically. The United States and Soviet Union pushed their opponents in an effort to force the other to back down but nearly caused nuclear destruction, especially during the Cuban Missile Crisis.