{"id":289540,"date":"2025-03-10T12:02:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T12:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=289540"},"modified":"2025-03-09T16:32:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-09T16:32:32","slug":"trump-putin-encounter-reframed-by-mma-and-kayfabe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/03\/trump-putin-encounter-reframed-by-mma-and-kayfabe\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump-Putin Encounter Reframed by MMA and Kayfabe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Speculative Contrast between Political and Sports Commentary Using AI<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

22 Feb 2025\u00a0<\/em>– There is considerable anticipation of the historic encounter between Donald Trump and Vladirmir Putin. It is necessarily the focus of extensive commentary and speculation from a political perspective, especially given the violence engendered by the relation between Russia and the USA over recent years. The commentary is typically one-sided in the light of the editorial policies of the media in which it appears — deprecating the actions of the USA or Russia as completely unjustified and totally reprehensible. Commentators are embarrassed by the sudden reversal of US foreign policy with the election of Trump.<\/p>\n

Little is said about the blow-by-blow elements of the anticipated dialogue between Trump and Putin — understood as the process of negotiation. Little is said about the dialogue\/negotiation by their assistants in preparation for their encounter — other than crafted press releases in both cases. As argued separately, despite the extensive literature on the processes of different forms of dialogue variously advocated, there is no understanding of the process used in encounters of the highest global importance (Overview of a variety of approaches to dialogue and conversation<\/em><\/a>, 2021). This contrasts curiously with the intense media coverage of global championships in any competitive sport. It would obviously be argued that such negotiations are best conducted in secret — with little objective commentary on their efficacity.<\/p>\n

Given the extremely rapid emergence and development of AI, it is intriguing to note the many references to the manner in which it currently enables “dialogue”. However most such references are primarily focused on new forms of chatbot — not on the challenges of global meetings, as discussed separately (Imaginative use of AI in AI summitry?<\/em><\/a> 2025; Use of ChatGPT to Clarify Possibility of Dialogue of Higher Quality<\/em><\/a>, 2023; (Envisaging the AI-enhanced Future of the Conferencing Process<\/em><\/a>, 2020). By contrast the future will see as somewhat extraordinary the current use of information technology to track “passing patterns” in ball sports — with seemingly little effort to track such patterns in conference dialogue.<\/p>\n

Is AI even used subsequently to analyze the transcripts of conference dialogue — for reasons analogous to use of such analysis for ball sports? (Analysis by AI of Reports of UN Debate on Artificial intelligence<\/em><\/a>, 2024). Could coherent meta-patterns of connectives of strategic relevance be elicited? Is it probable that any adaptation of AI to global summits will follow the existing pattern of dialogue facilitators and mediators with their proprietary processes — with each contested by those not contracted for the purpose? Is it not vital at this time to discover the specific failings of dialogue between leaders — as is so assiduously reviewed in the case of championship chess? How is higher quality dialogue to be elicited?<\/p>\n

In this context there is a case for recalling the peculiar bond between Trump and Putin deriving from their shared appreciation for the extraordinarily violent dynamics of professional wrestling<\/a> — promoted in the form of Mixed Martial Arts<\/a> (MMA). This is a full-contact fighting\u00a0sport\u00a0based on\u00a0striking\u00a0and\u00a0grappling, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world — seemingly unconstrained by “rules”. Potentially of great relevance is the manner in which those dynamics are framed contractually by kayfabe<\/a>. This is the staged portrayal of extremely violent encounters as “real” or “true”, specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being deceptively genuine, namely not staged. It may be seen as the suspension of disbelief<\/a> such as to create the non-wrestling aspects of promotions, such as feuds, angles, and gimmicks in a manner similar to other forms of fictional entertainment. Despite being presented as authentic, kayfabe acknowledges (even secretively) the staged, scripted nature of professional wrestling, as opposed to conventional competitive combat sports.<\/p>\n

Given the shared enthusiasm of Trump and Putin for MMA, it is appropriate to explore the role of kayfabe in their planned encounters. Media commentators and politicians worldwide focus attentively on the degree to which Trump is variously asserted to be “lying” — or on the extent to which Russia engages in “disinformation”. Few academic analyses mention Trump’s involvement in professional wrestling and MMA, as the first President of the USA to have been be inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment<\/a> hall of fame:<\/p>\n