Defence Minister talks about ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ in international relations: What is this concept

Source: The post is based on the article “Defence Minister talks about ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ in international relations: What is this concept” published in “Indian Express” on 1st November 2023

Why in the News?

The Defence Minister has talked about the concept of the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” to emphasize the importance of international collaboration over competing interests.

What is Prisoner’s Dilemma?

Prisoner’s Dilemma is a concept in Game Theory.

It helps us understand how people/entities behave under different circumstances.It demonstrates the conflict between individual rationality and collective rationality.

What is an example of Prisoner’s dilemma?

Imagine two criminals, let’s call them Alex and Taylor, are arrested for a crime. They are held in separate cells and are questioned by the police.

If both Alex and Taylor stay silent (cooperate), there isn’t enough evidence to convict them, and they’ll both serve a short one-year sentence for a minor charge.

If one stays silent while the other confesses (defects), the silent one gets a much harsher sentence (say, 10 years), and the confessor goes free.

If both confess, they each get a moderately harsh sentence (let’s say 8 years) for their cooperation in the crime.

The dilemma is that each prisoner must decide without knowing what the other will do.

This dilemma demonstrates that even though it might benefit both to cooperate, the risk of betrayal and the lure of a better personal outcome often leads to both prisoners choosing to act in self-interest which ends up in a less favourable overall result for both.

What are the applications of Prisoner’s dilemma in International relations?

In international relations, the Prisoner’s Dilemma is often used to describe situations where countries face a choice between cooperation and pursuing their individual self-interest.

This concept can be applied to various scenarios such as:

1.Arms Race: Consider two countries involved in an arms race. Each country might want to build up its military strength for its security. However, the more one country arms itself, the more threatened the other feels, leading to an escalating cycle of arms build-up. Both countries might be better off if they reduced their arms spending, but because they don’t trust each other, they continue to build weapons.

2.Environmental Agreements: Another example is international agreements on environmental issues. Countries might benefit collectively by reducing carbon emissions. However, if one country believes it can benefit more by not adhering to the agreement while others do, it might choose not to comply, potentially causing the collapse of the agreement.

UPSC Syllabus: International Relations