From Pentagon to Classroom: RAND’s Hedgemony as a Pedagogical Tool in Graduate IR and Security Studies

Since its founding, most of the games for which the RAND Corporation has been known were either strictly confidential or too complex to be used in a university setting. In 2020, RAND transformed a game originally created for the US Department of Defense into a commercially available version: Hedgemony: A Game of Strategic Choices. Our aim in this article is to review the game, assess its pedagogical potential, and suggest ways it can be used in an IR classroom. To that end, we first present and critically review the game. Second, we explain how we prepared and adapted the scenario for play with our graduate students at the University of Belgrade. Third, we describe how our game sessions unfolded. Fourth, we assess the pedagogical effects of the game in the IR classroom. Finally, we offer critiques of the game and consider how some of its limitations might be creatively addressed by players. We conclude that the game’s versatility significantly enhances student engagement, knowledge retention, and the comprehension of abstract concepts.