TROUBLE IN COMMON.International relations simulationsHow to use this
Menu

← Back to your results / Flags & Ferries

Realism & international power

Security & powerIR theory

Classical realism, neorealism & the security dilemma

Flags & Ferries

Can you make your country safer without making its neighbors feel threatened?

A flag on a pier. A ferry full of people. An ally with a price. Lead a small coastal state through choices about power, protection, and promises. Compare classical realism and structural neorealism by changing policy, then changing the balance of power.

How it runsSolo decision simulation
Time to plan65–75 min
What you produceA Class PDF with the decision chronicle, two model comparisons, four written responses, and first and current check results
For FunExplore at your paceFor ClassFollow your assignment

Start For Class and enter your name. Course or section is optional. Complete ten chapters and four responses with minimums of 45, 45, 65, and 85 words (240 total). For Fun keeps separate progress and offers optional writing.

When the Class assignment is complete, choose Print / Save PDF and upload the PDF to Canvas.

Your run saves in this browser when storage is available. Download a progress JSON before moving devices and restore it in the same mode.

Saving & submission →
Embed this activity

Bring the activity into your course.

Paste this snippet into an LMS or website HTML editor that supports iframes. The snippet displays the hosted activity without including its source code.

Keep the full-tab link included below the frame. Some LMSs and browsers restrict embedded storage, downloads or printing. Students should download a backup before changing views; opening a new tab does not transfer an in-memory record.

Embedding and free-use permissions →
An orange ferry follows a blue channel between three fictional coastal states.

What you can explore

  • Distinguish prudence and policy choice from constraints created by the distribution of capabilities.
  • Separate national stock, local deployment, and conditional aid when reading capability data.
  • Use a model comparison to explain which change mattered and which uncertainty remains.

Guides & downloads

What the model leaves open

All states, numbers, response rules, and conversion factors are fictional teaching devices. The two controlled comparisons illustrate separate realist questions.

AFTERWARD, THINK ABOUT

When did a defensive choice affect how the other side behaved?

Teaching this activity Debrief, assessment & assignment draft

Bring it back to the room

  • When did a defensive choice affect how the other side behaved?
  • Why can a state gain capability while losing relative power?
  • Which part of a pledge is available at the moment a decision has to be made?

What to assess

Look for correct comparisons, specific evidence from the budget and border decisions, and an advisory note that names a vital interest, a tradeoff, and an uncertainty.

Read the complete teaching guide →

Syllabus description, rubric & printable companion →

Prepare an assignment to share.

Edit this text, then copy it into Canvas or your course website. These edits stay in this tab.

Syllabus description & discussion prompts
Syllabus description
A flag on a pier. A ferry full of people. An ally with a price. Lead a small coastal state through choices about power, protection, and promises. Compare classical realism and structural neorealism by changing policy, then changing the balance of power. Students produce a class pdf with the decision chronicle, two model comparisons, four written responses, and first and current check results.
Questions for a discussion board or class debrief
  1. When did a defensive choice affect how the other side behaved?
  2. Why can a state gain capability while losing relative power?
  3. Which part of a pledge is available at the moment a decision has to be made?
Open printable teaching companion →