“Game Theorist Describes Unintended Consequences of U.S. Counterterrorism Policies”

Link- http://nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=100065&org=SBE

The above article by the National Science Foundation talks about research done in analyzing government strategies when it comes to terrorist incidents. Although dated in mid-2004, it is still worth a read. The particularly interesting part is that the researchers actually use Game Theory (and econometric methods as well) in order to analyze trends and form their conclusion. Such a study reminds me of the Hawk-Dove Game described during the first lecture involving Game Theory. It applies variations to the simple model that we put together in class.

For instance, the project analyzed best government response (such as deterrence) when the location of an attack is uncertain– the choice of terrorists. The researchers learned that terror actually increases as security measures are heightened. Imagine the resulting game that can be created.

Although the research started over 20 years ago, the area has become more and more valuable recently– especially after September 11th. The article is not very detailed, and it would be compelling to see exactly how Game Theory methods are applied. I would love to further research this topic for a future entry.