int'l relations (ir) prof was big game theory person, she would later go to war college in alabama, good fit given that game theory came to ir via military strategists, her view was that game theory's simplification of complex choices that states make helps clarify choices available and offers possibilities that may not otherwise be explored, she maintained that it helped analyst (and policymaker) to see not just their own state's position but also where other state might stand...
game theory assumptions impose significant limitations in ir: assumes unitary state in which internal factors have little importance in determining foreign policy preferences, assumes that unitary state acts rationally so that states choose 'best' option available, assumes that game occurs once when actual ir involves 'set of games' between same actors...
also, gt provides arbitary payoff structures in advance, actual states, however, may not know relative values attached to various choices or those of other state... michael hoover
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