In a computer system where multiple programs are running at the same time, updating shared data can be a serious problem. A program can lock a chunk of data while it is modifying it so that no other program can inadvertently update it at the same time, which would lead to bad data. But then the situation can arise where program A locks chunk 1 and then needs to lock chunk 2 to proceed, except that program B holds the lock on chunk 2 and needs chunk 1 to proceed. Clearly neither A nor B can proceed. This situation is called a deadly embrace.
The escalating sanctions remind me of this. Both sides are trying to hurt the other but it seems that there is no way that either side can emerge victorious. Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) may be achievable without any nuclear missiles leaving their silos.
Typically in a computer system the supervisory software will step in and pick a winner, forcing the other program to start over. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a candidate for that task in the geopolitical system.
Financial Reality 