Tim Harford: Putin’s actions make no sense

That is his strength. The Undercover Economist asks: will Putin go nuclear? Putin Russia’s president holds a weak hand, except for the one card no rational person would play. In this reflection on the art of brinkmanship, Harford argues that he is fairly sure that Putin is bluffing when he discusses nuclear threats, but that this is not enough, which in turn is the point of the political practice.