A Washington Times article used theories from Robert Axelrod's book, "The Evolution of Cooperation," in a discussion of U.S., North Korea relations | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
 
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A Washington Times article used theories from Robert Axelrod's book, "The Evolution of Cooperation," in a discussion of U.S., North Korea relations

May 3, 2009

Robert Axelrod's book, "The Evolution of Cooperation," has been described as a "fascinating, provocative, and important book." Though the book was originally written over 20 years ago, Axelrod's ideas on cooperation—as described through game theory—are still being used to elucidate many current world conflicts.

The Washington Times article "How should the U.S. handle North Korea?" used Alexrod's ideas about a "tit for tat" strategy to help explain the countries' deadlock, especially around nuclear weapons development. As described by Axelrod, "The trouble with tit for tat is that once a feud gets started, it can continue indefinitely. The injuries can echo back and forth until the original violation is lost in the distant past."

[Read the full article]