The Importance of Talking to Each Other Behind the Scene

I think there's a weird way in which we forget that for all the sort of public bravado that we see in troops fighting, countries need to be talking to each other behind the scene. It's very strange to imagine two sides at war with each other, committing violence against each other, but still agreeing not to use their biggest weapon. An uncomfortable amount of this just depends on vibes. What is the US obligation going forward, given that we play such an important security role in the world? And is it hard for us to lead,given that we're the only country to have used nuclear weapons?