Complexity Science and World Affairs

Description

Applies complexity science to the study of international politics. Why did some countries transition peacefully from communist rule to political freedom and market economies, while others did not? Why did the United States enjoy a brief moment as the sole remaining superpower, and then lose power and influence across the board? What are the prospects for China, the main challenger to American hegemony? In Complexity Science and World Affairs, Walter C. Clemens Jr. demonstrates how the basic concepts of complexity science can broaden and deepen the insights gained by other approaches to the study of world affairs. He argues that societal fitness--the ability of a social system to cope with complex challenges and opportunities--hinges heavily on the values and way of life of each society, and serves to explain why some societies gain and others lose. Applying theory to several rich case studies, including political developments across post-Soviet Eurasia and the United States, Clemens shows that complexity science offers a powerful set of tools for advancing the study of international relations, comparative government, and, more broadly, the social sciences. Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables Foreword Stuart A. Kauffman To the Reader Acknowledgments 1. Why a Science of Complexity? 2. Basic Concepts of Complexity Science 3. A Crucial Test Case: Why the Baltic Is Not the Balkans 4. Culture and the Capacity to Cope with Complexity 5. Complexity Science as a Tool to Understand the New Eurasia 6. How Complexity Concepts Explain Past and Present Fitness 7. Hyperpower Challenged: Prospects for Americans 8. What Future for the American Dream? 9. Why Is South Korea Not North Korea? 10. Toward a New Paradigm for Global Studies 11. Challenges to Complexity Science Afterword: Science and Art in this Book: Exploring the Genome Together Daniel Kohn Notes References