The correct answer is A) taking a dispute to the edge of conflict and forcing the opposition to back down.
"Brinkmanship" is the practice of taking a dispute to the edge of conflict and forcing the opposition to back down.
This is an old term used in foreign policy when two nations conflict. The negotiators of the government authorities are aggressive enough to state their demands and none of them want to back down. So they take the discussions up to the very limit, to the "brink" of a dangerous event, trying to create an advantage forcing the other part to the limit.
One good example of "Brinkmanship" could be the risky negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis, which put the world on the brink of another war.