EXPLAINER
War & securityWhat does 'military escalation' actually mean?
A precise term used very loosely in headlines.
What this covers
- The rungs analysts use to describe escalation
- What signalling and de-escalation look like
- How the word gets applied to things that are not escalation
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EXPLAINER
Nuclear deterrence and mutually assured destruction
The logic, the assumptions it rests on, and its known failure modes.
War & security
EXPLAINER
What is a no-fly zone?
Not a line on a map — an enforcement commitment.
War & security
EXPLAINER
What exactly is a proxy war?
How powerful states compete without directly fighting each other.
Geopolitics
EXPLAINER
How do economic blockades work?
Physical interdiction, and how it differs from sanctions.
War & security