Wargames and Crisis Simulations

International negotiations are strategic interactions, in which leaders and their governments aim to communicate, signal resolve, probe for weakness, and navigate uncertainty under pressure. This undergraduate seminar examines how wargames and crisis simulations help us understand these dynamics, both as tools for policymakers managing real-world crises and as instruments for testing theoretical claims about how states behave when vital interests collide. Students will explore how simulations have evolved. They will assess what games can reveal—or obscure—about credibility, escalation, and strategic choice. Students will participate in multiple games, analyze their mechanics and assumptions, and connect gameplay to debates in international relations theory about power, information, and commitment.