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.

China--

            *NOT MY BELIEFS—JUST WRITING FOR ASSIGNMENT*

         

The Chinese economy has been growing at a pretty rapid rate, in fact so rapidly that individuals including myself are beginning to fear that China may possibly become the most powerful world power within the next few years. With their increased military spending, high exportation rates, and increase in foreign investments, China is on their way to success and the US must buckle up and enhance the country’s economic stability.

            According to BBC News, “China now has the world's fastest-growing economy and is undergoing what has been described as a second industrial revolution.” Thinking back to how the industrial revolution enhanced America and Europe’s socioeconomic conditions with the creations of new jobs and ideas of creating more and more efficiency, comparing the Chinese economy to this means a lot. The industrial revolution occurred in over a span of about one hundred years because it occurred from the 18^th to 19^th century, however according to BBC, China’s economy was stagnated for the past two decades but are still expected to launch ambitious programs by the year 2020. China is essentially rapidly enhancing in a shorter period of time, than the industrial revolution which is incredible, incredibly scary at how fast their economy is moving. A major part of their fast paced expansion has a lot to do with the fact that there has been a wide expansion with foreign trade and investment.

            A prime example of this that I experienced first-hand was when I visited the country Sierra Leone about a year ago compared to when I visited ten years ago. There was a huge Chinese impact with businesses and the government in general. While individuals may think that this may not be a great investment because it is such an undeveloped country that has not prospered much in the past few decades, this belief is not one hundred percent true because of the mass amounts of natural resources that the country as. China’s investment strategies in foreign countries will be one of their strongest actions that aid in the prosperity of their country.

            One of our strongest features in our government in the US is the fact that we have such a strong military. However China’s military power is on the rise, their military has grown at a rate of about 12 percent over the past 10 years which is extremely significant considering the fact that their GDP has not even grown that rapidly in this time frame. If China’s military continues to advance, there is a great chance that within the next few decades it could surpass ours.

            Let’s also consider the fact that the labor force is extremely different from the US in the sense that we have stricter laws for human rights in order to not abuse the rights of workers. Whereas, in China, cheap labor is very common, and as a result they produce products cheaper than other countries aiding in their economic prosperity. While this is unfair and is not in compliance with international labor laws, it is still allowed in their country.

            There are many aspects of government that make can make one country more powerful than the other, China is in the run of advancing in the majority of major categories.

References

"China Increases Military Spending 12 Percent: Should We Worry?." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/03/05/china-increases-military-spending-12-percent-should-we-worry>.

"China profile." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13017877>.

China Trade With Sierra Leone to Climb on Iron-Ore Demand." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-20/china-trade-with-sierra-leone-to-climb-on-iron-ore-demand.html>.

"Labor Rights in China." AFL-CIO. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.aflcio.org/Issues/Trade/China/Labor-Rights-in-China>.

China: New Great Power, New Threat

When thinking of the Great Powers of the world, some easily ready names come to mind. Obviously the United States, Great Britain, Russia perhaps, and as of recently—China. Yes, as the years have progressed, China has transformed from a strict powerless communist state in the international realm, to an economic powerhouse. AS China has begun to gain more and more power, especially within their region, they have also had the ability to evoke more influence towards other states in the world. It is this influence, based both on their rising economy and size that has seen China emerge as a possible threat to some of the Great Powers of the world. Yet some still argue whether China is a truly “Great” Power. A number of people may say that China lacks the ability to be classified as a Great Power because of the primitive state of their military capabilities. However, I would argue that the potential for China’s military might to match that of Russia and some of the other Great Powers is growing. China, with their growing economy and massive population will easily be able to create an advanced standing army in the future capable of allowing them to be labeled as a Great Power. Even today, we can see that this evolution of China’s military power and economy is putting pressure on other Great Powers. In the U.S. specifically, leaders and the public are worried about China’s growth. They are worried that as China grows stronger and their economy grows bigger, that they will soon challenge the U.S. as the world hegemon. While all of this may be true, can China be classified as a Great Power? Or are they simply threatening the norms of the other Great Powers?

            If one is looking at whether to classify China as a Great Power or not, they must first ask the question of what qualifies as being a Great Power. Is it military capabilities? Is it Economic Prosperity? Is it having a public that is well cared for and is able to live comfortably? Or is it rather a combination of all of these that would create a state that is a Great Power. After these questions are asked, it has to be determined whether or not Chinas has acquired (or can acquire) all of these. In terms of economic prosperity, China has clearly proven that they are a global superpower. Militarily, China has the potential to create one of the largest fighting forces in the world. However, if you are gauging whether or not China is a Great Power based on the advancement and welfare of its people, then they are clearly not there. Yet, in my own view, the way a state’s people live does not matter in terms of whether they are a Great Power or not. It is clear that China has begun to pose a threat to some of the other Great Powers because of their growing power—an idea that would be supported by a realist. This threat is not unheeded. As a Great Power, China may be able to have more influence over world policies. Not all of this influence may be in line with the ideals of the other Great Powers—a situation that poses the greatest threat. Yet with China already a part of the group, the other Great Powers will have to quickly adjust to respond to the Chinese.

Classification of Failed States

Jessica Nott

GVPT200—Blog 2—Failed States

26 October 2014

            States are considered to be weak or failing when the internal government loses control over them. That is an extremely broad definition that relates to all different aspects of controlling a country. This can refer to control of property, economy, military forces and the actual government itself. The dangers of these countries are how little people feel that the laws apply to them. They become breeding grounds for terrorist cells and extremist activist groups. Although their economy is failing and trade is questionable, the real danger lies in the lack of control over the land and the people. When this happens, like how it has been happening for years in the Middle East and Africa, the failed states become a serious threat to people’s lives all over the world.

            Failure of state can be describes many ways. It can be seen in genocide and lack of human rights or with lack of civil rights. It can develop because of different groups fighting to take power over the government or because of a civil war between the people of the country. It can also happen due to bad neighbors or interstate wars where insurgent groups can come in and rattle the stability of the government and take over. All of these are possible factors that lead to the breeding grounds for terrorist known as failed states. In all of these cases the government has little to no control over the land and the people.

            In places like Somalia, Iraq and Syria extremist groups have grown exponentially, causing further instability in the area. More recently, a group known as the “Islamic State”, a kind of spin off of even more extreme extremists from Al-Qaida has taken over a lot of land in the previously mentioned area. They are dangerous with no regard for human rights, and have outwardly taken responsibility for genocides, ethnic cleansings, and beheadings of American and British nationals as a threat to the United States.

            The United States involvement in the issue comes when the actions of the groups in the unstable areas directly effects the people and values of America. In the United States National Security Strategy from May of 2010, the president outs emphasis on the fact that the United States is not fighting a religion or terrorism as an idea, but the United States is fighting a group of out of control immoral people that have no care for people that are not like themselves. Since then, the problem has been exacerbated even though the United States has taken down a lot of the major players in Al-Qaida headquarters, which has led to a slow downfall of that particular group.

            The issue is, even when the United States takes out parts of major groups, like Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida, failed states like Syria and Iraq give these groups and new groups safe havens to rebuild themselves again. The lawless and ungoverned lands are breeding grounds for terrorist activist and radical groups to plan their actions and train their people. How relatively easy (key word being relatively because it is by far not easy, but it also is not easy for the United States to always track them down) it is for a terrorist group to meet up, plan and contact each other is what should be one of the top concerns when debating which state is a failing or weak state. Although many factors play into what is classified as a weak or failing state, the loss of control of the government and the land within the state to radical groups should be a top priority.