Salami-Slicing Tactics.  Too Thick -> 'The Button'

Videos illustrating the salami slicing tactics

1. Yes Prime Minister - Salami Tactics and Nuclear Deterrent

2. The Prime Minister's Red Button

Note that this 1945ish Prime Minister of the British 'Commonwealth' (empire)
is analogous to
Vlad Putin of the 21^st Century.

MAD, like so:

Leader	Agressor Nation State Slicing the Salami	Defensive Trader Nation State
British PM	Russia	England
Putin	USA | NATO | 'Western' 'Democracies'	Russian Federation | Mackinder heartland