Game Theory

Jessica Nott

GVPT200 Blog 3

9 November 2014

            The idea of game theory and the different games that fall under this category can help to explain the way that the world reacts in different situations. International relations is a tricky business, especially when in comes to nuclear warfare. Every nation knows that mutually assured destruction is a very real phenomenon, constantly being tested by the threat of nuclear warfare. Game theory comes into play in this situation when the game of chicken is applied. Chicken is a “game” that is played where it is a test to see who is actually going to “drop the bomb” first. A classic example of this is two men riding horses with their jousting sticks galloping towards each other and seeing who will veer off and “chicken out” first. On a much larger scale, chicken applies to nuclear warfare and the arms race as to see who can build the most weapons and then not use them out of fear of mutually assured destruction. Since the development of nuclear weapons during World War II, there has been less international wars than ever before and this is out of the fear that once one nuclear weapon is launched, many more will be due to alliances, and that would cause major damage throughout the world.

            During the cold war and the arms race the idea of the game of chicken, especially with nuclear warfare became more known. For decades, the United States and the Soviet Union were building up extraordinary arsenals of nuclear weapons trying to outdo one another. The reason why this war was called the cold was because there was no actual physical fighting between the United States and Soviet Union. Although wars did occur during this time under the Truman Doctrine and other pacts, in order to protect against the spread of communism through the domino theory, no physical action occurred between the new main countries. Their fighting was more of a game of threats as to who can outdo the other with the most weapons. No nuclear warfare took place out of fear of the reality of mutually assured destruction.

            There is the belief that chicken is one of the reasons that nuclear warfare has not taken place and the reason that mutually assured destruction exists. It has almost made a case for some people to believe that the more countries have nuclear weapons, the less likely nuclear warfare is to happen. The game of chicken is what people who believe this use to explain this theory. Every country that has nuclear weapons want to avoid using them on certain countries because they know that other countries will counter the attack and there will be a nuclear world war. If every country has nuclear weapons, then even the most irrational of people will understand that their country would be decimated if they were to use it, and every country that has nuclear weapons has something to lose. The game theory of chicken can be used to explain a lot of what happens in international relations, especially relating to theories about nuclear warfare and mutually assured destruction.