The Indochinese refugee crisis of 1978-79 is modeled as a prisoners' dilemma, with Thailand choosing whether to permit first asylum and the United States choosing whether to allow resettlement. A threat power analysis from the theory of moves helps to explain: (1) the threats by Thailand and other countries in the region to deny first asylum, and (2) the decision by the United States to (eventually) accept over 750,000 refugees for resettlement. The threats by Thailand shocked and outraged the international community, but the threat power analysis suggests that they were instrumental in escaping the prisoners' dilemma.
Bates, Robert H.
, Avner Greif, Margaret Levi, Jean-Laurent Rosenthal and Barry R. Weingast. 1998. Analytic Narratives. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
2.
Brams, Steven J.1994. Theory of Moves. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3.
Brams, Steven J.1997. `Game Theory and Emotions.' Rationality and Society9: 91-124.
4.
Brams, Steven J.2000. `Game Theory: Pitfalls and Opportunities in Applying it to International Relations.' International Studies Perspectives1: 221-232.
5.
Brams, Steven J.2001. `Response to Randall Stone: Heresy or Scientific Progress?' Journal of Conflict Resolution45: 245-254.
6.
Brams, Steven J.
and Marek P. Hessel. 1984. `Threat Power in Sequential Games.' International Studies Quarterly28: 23-44.
7.
Brandenburger, Adam M.
and Barry J. Nalebuff. 1996. Co-opetition. New York: Currency Doubleday.
8.
Brecher, Michael
and Jonathan Wilkenfeld. 1997. A Study of Crisis. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
9.
Dixit, Avinash
and Barry Nalebuff. 1991. Thinking Strategically. New York: Norton.
10.
Dixit, Avinash
and Susan Skeath. 1999. Games of Strategy. New York: Norton.
11.
Gallagher, Dennis
. 1989. `The Evolution of the International Refugee System.' International Migration Review23: 579-598.
12.
Gilboa, Itzhak
. 1995. `Reviews and Comments [Review of the book Theory of Moves]' Games and Economic Behavior10: 368-372.
13.
Green, Donald P.
and Ian Shapiro. 1994. Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
14.
Livingston, Paisley
. 1991. Literature and Rationality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
15.
Loescher, Gil
. 1993. Beyond Charity: International Cooperation and the Global Refugee Crisis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
16.
Loescher, Gil
and John A. Scanlan. 1986. Calculated Kindness: Refugees and America's Half-Open Door, 1945 to the Present. New York: Free Press.
17.
McNamara, Dennis
. 1989. `The Origins and Effects of `Humane Deterrence' Policies of South-east Asia.' In Refugees and International Relations, eds Gil Loescher and Laila Monahan, pp. 123-133. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
18.
Nakavachara, Netnapis
and John R. Rogge. 1987. `Thailand's Refugee Experience.' In Refugees: A Third World Dilemma, ed. John R. Rogge, pp. 269-281. Totowa, NJ: Rowman & Littlefield.
19.
New York Times. 1978. `Thais Returning Refugees to Laos, Sometimes to Official Mistreatment,' February 18. p. 4.
20.
Putnam, Robert D.1993. `Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games.' In Double-Edged Diplomacy: International Bargaining and Domestic Politics, eds. Peter B. Evans, Harold K. Jacobson and Robert D. Putnam, pp. 431-468. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
21.
Rachagan, Sothi S.1987. `Refugees and Illegal Immigrants: The Malaysian Experience with Filipino and Vietnamese Refugees.' In Refugees: A Third World Dilemma, ed. John R. Rogge, pp. 253-268. Totowa, NJ: Rowman & Littlefield.
22.
Robinson, W. Courtland
. 1998. Terms of Refuge: The Indochinese Exodus and the International Response. London: Zed Books.
23.
Rogge, J.R.1985. `The Indo-Chinese Diaspora: Where Have All the Refugees Gone?' The Canadian Geographer29: 65-72.
24.
Schelling, Thomas C.1960. The Strategy of Conflict. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
25.
Schelling, Thomas C.1966. Arms and Influence. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
26.
Stone, Randall W.2001. `The Use and Abuse of Game Theory in International Relations.' Journal of Conflict Resolution45: 216-244.
27.
Suhrke, Astri
. 1980. Indochinese Refugees: The Impact on First Asylum Countries and Implications for American Policy. Washington DC: United States Congress. November 25.
28.
Suhrke, Astri
. 1983. `Indochinese Refugees: The Law and Politics of First Asylum.' Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science467: 102-115.
29.
Sutter, Valerie O'Connor
. 1990. The Indochinese Refugee Dilemma. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press.
30.
UNHCR
. 1995. The State of the World's Refugees: The Challenge of Protection. New York: Penguin.
31.
US Department of State
. 1986. Report of the Indochinese Refugee Panel. Washington DC, April 18.
32.
Zarjevski, Yefime
. 1988. A Future Preserved: International Assistance to Refugees. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. New York: Pergamon Press.
33.
Zeager, Lester A.1998. `Negotiations for Refugee Repatriation or Local Settlement: A Game-Theoretic Analysis.' International Studies Quarterly42: 367-384.
34.
Zeager, Lester A.
and Johnathan B. Bascom. 1996. `Strategic Behavior in Refugee Repatriation: A Game-Theoretic Analysis.' Journal of Conflict Resolution40: 460-485.
