Concept of Systems
A system is something composed of many each other. System thinkers argue that if the logic of a system can be discovered, one can roughly predict its evolution or at least is "interact." If something is truly a system, you can't change just one part of it, for if you do, all the other components also change Systems thinking originated in biology. The human body, for example, is a system of heart, lunge, blood, and so on. Take away one component and the body dies. Alter one, and the others try to adjust compensate. Systems can be stable and self-correcting, or they can break down, either from internal or external causes.
After World War II, systems thinking spread to almost every discipline, including international relations. Here thinkers-- some focusing just on Europe, others on the entire globe--found that various systems have come and gone over the centuries, each operating with its own logic and producing variously stable and unstable results. Obviously, and unstable system does not last long.
States and other components in a system interact to ward off threats and to take opportunities to advance their interests. And when they do so, they create threats and opportunities for each other. Knowing this, we can better predict what is going to happen. We can even come up with rules on how states can handle threats and take advantage of opportunities.
The strong point about systems thinking is that it trains us to see the world as a whole rather than just a series of unrelated happenings and problems. It also encourages us to think about how a clever statesman may attempt to create and manipulate a system to get desired results. If he presses here, what will come out there? Will it be bad or good? To some extent, international systems are artificial creations of varying degrees of handiwork. A system that obtains the assent of the major powers and goes with the forces of history may last a long time. A system that doesn't suit one or more major players and goes against the forces of history will surely soon be over-turned. Systems don't just fall from heaven but are crafted by intelligent minds such as Metternich and Bismarck. This brings an element of human intelligence and creativity into international politics. It's not just science; it's also an art that brings with it hopeful thinking.
Does the world form a political "system"? It is surely composed of many parts, and they interact. The trouble is, few thinkers can totally agree on what the systems were, their time periods, and the logic of their operations. Looking at the four system of the twentieth century, some would say there are only three, because the first and second should really be merged (the second was merely the decayed tail end of the first). Others would say, no, actually there are five, adding the period of the Axis dictatorships as a separate system. Now we debate the nature and workings of an emerging system. Systems thinking is fascinating but imprecise, not yet a science. (Michael G. Roskin and Niecholas O. Berry) .
Compiled by TheIRs, Suon Somony, Lesson for IR Students
July 26, 2019
A system is something composed of many each other. System thinkers argue that if the logic of a system can be discovered, one can roughly predict its evolution or at least is "interact." If something is truly a system, you can't change just one part of it, for if you do, all the other components also change Systems thinking originated in biology. The human body, for example, is a system of heart, lunge, blood, and so on. Take away one component and the body dies. Alter one, and the others try to adjust compensate. Systems can be stable and self-correcting, or they can break down, either from internal or external causes.
After World War II, systems thinking spread to almost every discipline, including international relations. Here thinkers-- some focusing just on Europe, others on the entire globe--found that various systems have come and gone over the centuries, each operating with its own logic and producing variously stable and unstable results. Obviously, and unstable system does not last long.
States and other components in a system interact to ward off threats and to take opportunities to advance their interests. And when they do so, they create threats and opportunities for each other. Knowing this, we can better predict what is going to happen. We can even come up with rules on how states can handle threats and take advantage of opportunities.
The strong point about systems thinking is that it trains us to see the world as a whole rather than just a series of unrelated happenings and problems. It also encourages us to think about how a clever statesman may attempt to create and manipulate a system to get desired results. If he presses here, what will come out there? Will it be bad or good? To some extent, international systems are artificial creations of varying degrees of handiwork. A system that obtains the assent of the major powers and goes with the forces of history may last a long time. A system that doesn't suit one or more major players and goes against the forces of history will surely soon be over-turned. Systems don't just fall from heaven but are crafted by intelligent minds such as Metternich and Bismarck. This brings an element of human intelligence and creativity into international politics. It's not just science; it's also an art that brings with it hopeful thinking.
Does the world form a political "system"? It is surely composed of many parts, and they interact. The trouble is, few thinkers can totally agree on what the systems were, their time periods, and the logic of their operations. Looking at the four system of the twentieth century, some would say there are only three, because the first and second should really be merged (the second was merely the decayed tail end of the first). Others would say, no, actually there are five, adding the period of the Axis dictatorships as a separate system. Now we debate the nature and workings of an emerging system. Systems thinking is fascinating but imprecise, not yet a science. (Michael G. Roskin and Niecholas O. Berry) .
Compiled by TheIRs, Suon Somony, Lesson for IR Students
July 26, 2019
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