Game theory in Pakistan (and in climate change)

“I don’t know what the Taliban’s game plan is, but what seems apparent is the [Pakistani] state has no game plan.” ---RAND's Christina Fair, quoted in the NY Times.

Sounds like only one side of this fight is thinking strategically, and it's not the good guys.

PS. Another fine application of game theory from today's Times concerns the industry-funded Global Climate Coalition. Compare the view they promoted publicly in the early 1990s with the internal documents expressing the private view of their own scientific panel:

Public statement: “The role of greenhouse gases in climate change is not well understood.”

Internal documents: “The scientific basis for the Greenhouse Effect and the potential impact of human emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 on climate is well established and cannot be denied.”

Sigh.