Any way to prevent a nuclear war?

[Sempu]

Originally Posted by The Man in Black

Precisely, game theory would likely shape the outcome of any nuclear war, although with new technology coming soon in the form of rail guns and such, I'm not sure we'll ever have to worry about a nuclear war because of defense initiatives. Game theory can basically be applied to any competition, and one of it's main uses is in microeconomics to study the behavior of competing firms. Ever heard of a prisoner's dilemma, Sempu?

Oh yes. I am trying my best to remember how the game theory applied in this situation... *searches reading history without success* . Essentially the reasoning was, if the US acted rationally, there was a possibility the USSR would launch a preemptive strike, so the US had to be seen as acting irrationally, in fact, had to convince everyone that it could and would act irrationally. I think this is also the solution to the Unexpected Hanging Paradox.