Strategic Simulations in Geopolitics: Researching, Modeling, Teaching
Vladimir Ajzenhamer, Mihajlo Kopanja, Petar Stanojević · University of Belgrade, Faculty of Security Studies eBooks · 2024
In the field of geopolitics, it is difficult to aptly study the complex processes on how space impacts international politics.There are three main reasons for that.Firstly, as in most social sciences, it is impossible to conduct experiments and empirically test one's own ideas.Secondly, being that geopolitics tends to observe the longue durée processes, it takes years, decades, or even centuries to see whether certain ideas will prove to be a sufficient explanation.Thirdly, we cannot simply wage a war, to put it to extremes, in order to see whether we are right or not.We could even add a fourth issue related to teaching -given previous issues, it becomes difficult for professors to adequately pass on knowledge to students in courses that last mere few months.However, trends in software development are allowing us to overcome these issues in the virtual realm, by developing specific software dedicated to simulating the international arena.Although wargames have always existed within military planning and education it was never as prominent in academia.In recent years, many top university and research institutions have begun establishing specific departments that solely focus on conducting strategic wargames.The goal of this paper is to show how strategic simulations can be implemented in the field of geopolitics in order to provide a better foot ground for researching, modeling and even teaching geopolitics.Although utilization of software simulations will be highlighted, the paper will also deal with the merits of relying on existing practices of in vivo wargames.To do so, this paper is organized into three parts.Firstly, we will provide an overview of wargames and simulations in the broader fields of international relations, security and strategic studies.Secondly, we will point out the main differences between software and in vivo simulation from the perspective of their utility for different scenarios.Finally, we will highlight the main benefits utilization of strategic simulations have for researching, modeling and teaching geopolitics.