Special
Reading World Affairs Through Game Theory
An eye for reading the news yourself, instead of having someone judge it for you
These are times when you want to understand how the world works but find no good way in. The news changes every day, and fake news and agitation burrow into the gaps.
This series does not say who is right. Instead, it reads why countries move the way they do through a single lens: game theory. Even when everyone acts rationally for their own reasons, the game as a whole can become dangerous, and we look at how that pattern has repeated in history.
The goal is one thing: when you turn on the news tonight, to read the game yourself, rather than to hear what someone else has already judged for you.
Videos
Special
Player map
How the countries in the video stand today and what moves they are making, one by one, with sources. October 2026 · A reading, not a verdict
Great powers 3
- ChinaThe 15th Five-Year Plan (approved by the National People's Congress on 12 Mar 2026) pledged to achieve self-reliance in science and technology through “extraordinary measures.”
- RussiaIt cites "security" as the reason for the war in Ukraine.
- United StatesThe first chapter of the National Security Strategy 2025 (signed 4 Dec 2025) is the Western Hemisphere, and its title is "the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine".
Regional powers 11
- BrazilRepresent the Global South; BRICS.
- EU (Germany and France)A seat where the rules are written (AI Act, the Brussels effect) and rearmament (ReArm Europe).
- IndiaIt stresses “strategic autonomy.”
- IsraelRemove Iran's nuclear capability
- JapanStrengthen defense capability.
- South Korea“National-interest-centered pragmatic diplomacy.” It styles itself a “bridge” between East and West.
- North KoreaTo cement its status as a nuclear state.
- Saudi Arabia and the GulfDiversify security guarantees, and transform the economy
- TaiwanKeep the status quo and deter.
- TürkiyeAn independent mediator within NATO
- UkrainePreserve its sovereignty; secure security guarantees.
Southeast Asia 6
- IndonesiaA “free and active” non-aligned policy; 8% growth.
- Malaysia“Nobody's side.” It keeps ties with its largest trading partner China and with the US as well. “We speak up without fear or favour.”
- PhilippinesDefend its rights in the South China Sea. The basis is the 2016 arbitral ruling (cited by the Philippine national security adviser, as reported).
- Singapore"Neither pro-China nor pro-US, but pro-Singapore."
- ThailandLong-standing balanced diplomacy, "bamboo that bends with the wind".
- Vietnam"Bamboo diplomacy" (bends flexibly, but the roots are firm).
Everything here is a reading — “some analysts see it this way.” It is not a verdict on who is right. Sources are cited; as of October 2026.