For game theorists, the Prisoner’s Dilemma represents some of the basic elements of world politics as faced by state leaders: high risks and the imperative to make decisions quickly in situations of...

For game theorists, the Prisoner’s Dilemma represents some of the basic elements of world politics as faced by state leaders: high risks and the imperative to make decisions quickly in situations of uncertainty. The one-shot PD game (a game played only once, not unlike the decision demanded of prisoners themselves) is thought to best represent the realist vision of IR.

However, game theorists have shown that in an iterated PD game (one played repeatedly with the same players), the possibility of reciprocity can make it rational to cooperate. Now, players reason that they will meet one another in future games and a cooperative move in the present may be reciprocated by an opponent in future. Some suggest that this represents a more liberal view of the world: states and other actors interact with one another repeatedly and can learn from each other’s behaviour and adjust their own behaviour accordingly.

Critical theorists are unlikely to be involved in elaborating on game theory, but they would still have questions to pose of game theorists. Some might be: Who decides the rules of the game? Who determines the payoff matrix?