Complexity Science and World Affairs (Suny Series, James N. Rosenau Series in Global Politics)
Book Details
Author(s)Walter C., Jr. Clemens
PublisherState Univ of New York Pr
ISBN / ASIN1438449011
ISBN-139781438449012
AvailabilityUsually ships in 12 to 14 days
Sales Rank4,566,458
CategoryHistory
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
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.
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
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
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