Rationality and the Analysis of International Conflict
Nicholson, Michael / Michael, Nicholson / Smith, Steve
After outlining social scientific approaches to international relations, the author describes the problems of rational decision making in conflict situations. He shows how rationality is in many strategic situations hard to define and often leads to paradoxes such as the prisoners' dilemma. Psychological stress can further result in the distortion of decision processes in time of crisis.