Reflection # 8

Coming out of Salome made me realize the significance the play had to world politics.  Salome served as a metaphor that examined the underlying metaphysical implications of a realist world.

Just kidding, it was an interesting play though.

Risk was substantially more interesting though.  I came into the game ready to deceive and destroy my opponents to victory.  Unfortunately, we were playing the "limited edition PTJ deluxe set" which was sadly pulled from production due to a correlation to high suicide rates.

While I played the game I had not really thought about the purpose of the activity.  The main changes to the game included a representative in a committee that made various deliberations regarding alliances, enemies, etc., an increased role of deliberation, goals, and random events that occurred.  In retrospect, there was one thing I saw that resonated with me regarding world politics.  The gradual and meticulous process of making moves.

While I probably am over thinking the game, meticulousness plays a vital role in international politics.  Any move a leader of a country makes can have geopolitical effects worldwide.  Even a leader simply showing his face at a public event can have implications worldwide.  A good example of this can be the case of Kim Jong Il and Fidel Castro.  Both have been known lately to have not made many public appearances.  When they did make appearances, signs of deteriorating health and rumors of impending death arose.  This in turn sparked discussions and deliberations regarding potential successors, implications for relations, how that will effect trade, military alliances, and shifts in a country's grand strategy.

Meticulousness also occurs in the arrangement of agreements.  Countries signing and ratifying agreements have specific intentions for their country.  For example, the U.S. and South Korea are attempting to deliberate a free trade agreement.  As per most international issues, bipartisanship fails to exist.  South Korea wants a clause within the treaty to include products made within the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), a small area outside the border of South Korea that contains a significant portion of South Korea's manufacturing capabilities.  The U.S. is extremely hesitant on ratifying a deal that includes products manufactured in North Korea.  Opponents of the agreement argue that money procured by the deal will be siphoned to North Korea and be used for nuclear endeavors.  South Korea on the other hand, is hesitant to ratify a deal that fails to acknowledge a significant area of manufacturing which could play a vital role in their economic development.  Note that this is only a minor clause within the entirety of the free trade agreement.  Each clause, sentence, and issue is carefully deliberated and discussed in order to ensure that the agreement benefits the most people.  Even if the agreement gets passed, there may be some geopolitical issues regarding North Korea and China.

Regardless, the game of Risk showed me how tedious deliberations can be, but also the impact such deliberations can have in the international sphere.  We'll see how the game continues throughout class.