War Games
In response to a growing threat in the Middle East, President Obama approved this past week of airstrikes over Syria and increased airstrikes in Iraq. The purpose? To eliminate ISIS “wherever they exist”. ISIS, the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq, is a Sunni Jihadist group in Syria, Iraq, and other parts of the Middle East. They are a terrorist organization known for their brutality and extreme religious views. They believe that they have religious authority over all other Muslims and will attack those who oppose them. ISIS has been accused of various human rights abuses, including war crimes and mistreatment of civilians. In his speech, President Obama said that “if left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond that region, including the United States.”
So now, the United States is in a “game” with ISIS. ISIS has been the aggressive player in the game and will continue to be because they believe that, in order to achieve their goal of an all Muslim state, they will have to use force to do so. Until last week, the United States was a neutral player, not authorizing a counterattack against ISIS. Now, the United States is an aggressive player, choosing to attack ISIS in an effort to stop their acts of terrorism against civilians. The United States believes that this is necessary to stop ISIS from becoming a major threat in the Middle East. Both sides will continue to play aggressively until one side has to give up or move to being a safe player. Since ISIS believes that they are making the best decision they can and the United States believes that it is making the best decision it can based off of ISIS’s decision, a Nash equilibrium exists. If ISIS were to change its strategy and the United States remains unchanged, ISIS will be worse off in the aspect that they will continue to be bombed. If the United States changes its strategy and ISIS remains unchanged, the United States opens up the possibility for ISIS to become a major threat in the Middle East and would therefore be worse off.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/10/politics/isis-obama-speech/