At the surface, brinksmanship seems like a strong policy in regards to determent, but in essence it only raised tensions and most likely prolonged the Cold War. Based in the ideas of containment, Eisenhower threatened any means necessary to stop Soviet advance. With both nations making grounds in nuclear technology, the threat of a nuclear holocaust was ever looming. Neither nation felt secure enough to stand down, out of fear of Nuclear attack. The policy of brinkmanship left the world in a constant state of fear, waiting for moment when the cold war would turn hot. The idea of brinksmanship was followed with MAD (mutual insured destruction), which lead both the Untied States and the Soviet Union to take risk that would culminate with
