Theory of International Politics
Faculty
A. Ishida
Description
The primary purpose of this course is to familiarize the students with some main applications of “rationalist” analytical methods to the understanding of a wide range of theoretical questions in the field of international security. In addition, it explores the avenues for further research. The course is organized in three parts. First, it gives a brief introduction to non-cooperative game theory and applies it to better understand the strategic dynamics of civil wars and wars on terrorism. Second, it provides an overview of major theoretical achievements in this field by discussing the works by Thomas Schelling, James Fearon and others. And third, it traces the theoretical development from Robert Jervis to Andrew Kydd on the understanding of the reciprocal relations between actors’ action and their perception of it.