Politics and Game Theory
Source: https://www.salon.com/2019/09/20/donald-trump-and-game-theory-expert-says-no-brilliant-3-d-chess-is-involved/
This article details an interview between Salon news source and NYU Game Theory Scholar Steven Brams discussing President Trump’s mentality throughout his presidency in terms of game theory. For example, Brams mentions the fact that Trump has been incredibly unpredictable and untrustworthy even to his own advisors. Brams attempts to explain and rationalize Trump’s behavior through the usage of zero-sum games, equilibrium strategies, and labels Trump as someone who views politics as a zero-sum-game. In other words, either Trump triumphs over his opponents, or he loses…there is no in between.
This article connects to our class discussions of different types of games played with different strategies and approaches. Furthermore, both Salon and Brams did a good job of giving real world examples of the interaction between game theory and politics. For example, Brams did a good example of a zero-sum-game by considering what would happen during Trump’s impeachment battle. Brams stated that it would be all or nothing for Trump. Whereas, in Nancy Pelosi’s case, the game would be a little different given that Pelosi may seek cooperation instead of total domination or total failure. It was interesting to see the different principles of game theory applied in such an impactful and real world situation. Personally, it made me understand that game theory is a very prevalent part in all of our every day lives. We weigh the rewards and costs of all our decisions, although perhaps not in as structured a manner as the game theory situations we read about in our textbooks. Rather than game theory becoming a concept we simply learn about in class, it can be applied to real world scenarios to help us understand the rationale behind many decisions that are made and how to best approach them to yield the most profitable result. This is one subject that I believe is absolutely useful in understanding how and why people act in a certain way, and I look forward to continuously applying this knowledge in every day life.