Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T13:18:09.065Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

System and crisis in international politics*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 1985

Michael Brecher  and
Hemda Ben Yehuda
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

This paper is an effort to overcome a major obstacle to a creative system orientation in international relations—a dearth of knowledge about system-level change. To accomplish this goal two tasks are necessary. First, building upon earlier contributions, a new definition of international system is offered and its essential properties—structure, process, equilibrium, stability—are discussed. The second requirement is to create a new approach to crisis and to forge links between its unit and system levels, the focus of the rest of the paper. This, in turn, will facilitate the analysis of crises as catalysts to system change, that is, as international earthquakes.

Type
Research Article
Information
Review of International Studies , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , January 1985 , pp. 17 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © British International Studies Association 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andriole, S. J., ‘The Levels of Analysis Problems and the Study of Foreign, International, and Global Affairs: A Review Critique, and Another Final Solution’ in International Interactions 5 (1978), pp. 113–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aron, R., Peace and War (Garden City, NY, 1966).Google Scholar
Arrow, K. J., ‘Economic Equilibrium’, in Sills, David L. (ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Vol. 4 (New York, 1968), pp. 376–89.Google Scholar
Ashby, W. R., Design for a Brain: The Origin of Adaptive Behavior (New York, 1952).Google Scholar
Azar, E. E., ‘Conflict Escalation and Conflict Reduction in an International Crisis: Suez, 1956’ in Journal of Conflict Resolution (June) 16(1972), pp. 183–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Azar, E. E., Brody, R. and McClelland, C. A., ‘International Events Interaction Analysis: Some Research Considerations’ in Sage Professional Papers in International Studies, 02–001 (Beverly Hills, 1972).Google Scholar
Azar, E. E.et al, ‘A System for Forecasting Crisis: Findings and Speculations about Conflict in the Middle East’ in International Interactions 3 (1977), pp. 193–225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Binder, L., ‘The Middle East as a Subordinate International System’ in World Politics (April) X (1958), pp. 408–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boulding, K. E., ‘General Systems Theory?—The Skeleton of Science’ in Management Science (April) 2 (1956), pp. 197–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowman, L. W., ‘The Subordinate State System of Southern Africa ’ in International Studies Quarterly (September) 12 (1968), pp. 231–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brecher, M., ‘ International Relations and Asian Studies: The Subordinate State System of Southern Asia’ in World Politics (January) XV (1963), pp. 213–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burgess, P. M. and Lawton, R. W., ‘Indicators of International Behavior: An Assessment of Events Data Research’ in Sage Professional Papers, International Studies Series, Vol. 1 (Beverly Hills, 1972).Google Scholar
Cantori, L. J. and Spiegel, S. L., International Politics of Regions (Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1970).Google Scholar
Corson, W. H., Conflict and Cooperation in East-West Crises, Ph.D. dissertation (Harvard, 1970).Google Scholar
Dean, P. D. and Vasquez, J. A., ‘From Power Politics to Issue Politics’ in Western Political Quarterly, 29 (1976), pp. 7–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deutsch, K. W., Politics and Government, 2nd edn. (Boston, 1974).Google Scholar
Deutsch, K. W. and Singer, J. D., ‘Multipolar Power Systems and International Stability’ in World Politics (April) XVI (1964), pp. 390–406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dominguez, J. E., ‘Mice that do not Roar’ in International Organization (Spring) 25 (1971), pp. 175–208.Google Scholar
Eckhardt, W. and Azar, E. E., ‘Major World Conflicts and Interventions, 1945–1975’ in International Interactions 5 (1978), pp. 75–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilpin, R., War and Change in World Politics (Cambridge, 1981).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haas, E. B., Beyond the Nation State (Stanford, 1964).Google Scholar
Haas, M., International Conflict (Indianapolis, 1974).Google Scholar
Haas, M., ‘International Subsystems: Stability and Polarity’ in American Political Science Review (March) 64 (1970), pp. 98–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanrieder, W. F., ‘The International System: Bipolar or Multibloc?’ in Journal of Conflict Resolution (September) 9 (1965), pp. 229–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffmann, S., ‘Discord in Community’ in International Organization (Summer) 17 (1963), pp. 521–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffmann, S., ‘International Systems and International Law’ in World Politics (October) XIV (1961), pp. 205–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holsti, K. J., International Politics, 2nd edn (Englewood Cliffs, 1972).Google Scholar
Holsti, O. R., ‘Historians, Social Scientists and Crisis Management: An Alternative View’ in Journal of Conflict Resolution (December) 24 (1980), pp. 665–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopple, G. W. and Rossa, P. J., ‘International Crisis Analysis: Recent Developments and Future Directions’, in Hopmann, P. T., D. A. Zinnes, Singer, J. D. (eds.), Cumulation in International Relations Research (University of Denver Monograph Series in World Affairs, 1981), Vol. 18, Book 3, pp. 65–97.Google Scholar
Kaiser, K., ‘The Interaction of Regional Subsystems’ in World Politics (October) XXI (1968), pp. 84–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, M. A., System and Process in International Politics (New York, 1957).Google Scholar
Keohane, R. O., Letter to the author (1981); and Nye, J. S., Power and Interdependence (Boston, 1977).Google Scholar
Krasner, S. D. (ed.), International Regimes, special issue of International Organization (Spring) 36(1982).Google Scholar
Lampert, D. E., ‘Patterns of Transregional Relations’, in Feld, Werner J. and Boyd, Gavin (eds.), Comparative Regional Systems (New York, 1980), pp. 429–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liska, G., International Equilibrium (Cambridge, Mass., 1957).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClelland, C. A., ‘Comments’, pp. 6–7 in Hermann, C., International Crises (New York, 1972).Google Scholar
McClelland, C. A., ‘Access to Berlin: the quantity and variety of events, 1948–1963’, in Singer, J. D. (ed.), Quantitative International Politics: Insights and Evidence (New York, 1968), pp. 159–86.Google Scholar
McClelland, C. A., Theory and the International System (New York, 1966).Google Scholar
McClelland, C. A., ‘Systems and History in International Relations: Some Perspectives for Empirical Research and Theory’, in General Systems, Yearbook of the Society for General Systems Research, Vol. Ill (1958), pp. 221–47.Google Scholar
McClelland, C. A., ‘Applications of General Systems Theory in International Relations’ in Main Currents in Modern Thought (November) 12 (1955), pp. 27–34.Google Scholar
McCormick, J. M., ‘International Crises: A Note on Definition’ in Western Political Quarterly (September) 31 (1978), pp. 352–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Modelski, G., ‘International Relations and Area Studies: The Case of Southeast Asia’ in International Relations (April) II (1961), pp. 143–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
North, R. C., ‘Research Pluralism and the International Elephant’ in International Studies Quarterly (December) 11 (1967), pp. 394–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peterson, S., ‘Research on Research: Events Data Studies, 1961–1972’ in McGowan, Patrick J. (ed.), Sage International Yeararticle of Foreign Policy Studies, Vol. 3 (Beverly Hills, 1975).Google Scholar
Potter, W. C., ‘Issue Area and Foreign Policy Analysis’ in International Organization (Summer) 34(1980), pp. 405–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pruitt, D. G., ‘Stability and Sudden Change in Interpersonal and International Affairs’ in Journal of Conflict Resolution (March) XIII (1969), pp. 18–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosecrance, R. N., ‘Bipolarity, Multipolarity, and the Future’ in Journal of Conflict Resolution, (1966), pp. 314–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosecrance, R. N., Action and Reaction in World Politics (Boston, 1963).Google Scholar
Rosenau, J. N., ‘The External Environment as a Variable in Foreign Policy Analysis’ in Rosenau, J. N., Davis, V. and East, M. (eds.), The Analysis of International Politics (New York, 1972), pp. 145–65.Google Scholar
Russett, B. M., International Regions and the International System (Chicago, 1967).Google Scholar
Singer, J. D., A General Systems Taxonomy for Political Science (New York, 1971).Google Scholar
Singer, J. D., ‘The Level-of-Analysis Problem in International Relations’ in World Politics (October) XIV (1961), pp. 77–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singer, J. D. and Small, M., The Wages of War, 1816–1965: A Statistical Handbook (New 1972).Google Scholar
Tanter, R., ‘International Crisis Behavior: An Appraisal of the Literature’ in Jerusalem Journal of International Relations (Winter-Spring) 3 (1978), pp. 340–74.Google Scholar
Tanter, R., Modelling and Managing International Conflicts: The Berlin Crises (Beverly Hills, 1974).Google Scholar
Tanter, R., ‘Dimensions of Conflict Behavior Within and Between Nations, 1958–1960’ in Journal of Conflict Resolution, X (1966), pp. 41–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, W. R., ‘The Regional Subsystem’ in International Studies Quarterly (March) 17 (1973), pp. 89–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waltz, K. N., Theory of International Politics (Reading, Mass., 1979).Google Scholar
Waltz, K. N., ‘International Structure, National Force, and the Balance of World Power’ in Journal of International Affairs, XXI, 2 (1967), pp. 215–31.Google Scholar
Waltz, K. N., ‘The Stability of a Bipolar World’ in Daedalus (Summer) XCIII(1964), pp. 881–909.Google Scholar
Waltz, K. N., Man the State and War (New York, 1959).Google Scholar
Wiener, A. J. and Kahn, H. (eds.), Crisis and Arms Control (New York, 1962).Google Scholar
Wilkenfeld, J.et al., ‘Conflict Interactions in the Middle East, 1949–1967’ in Journal of Conflict Resolution (June) 16(1972), pp. 135–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, O. R., A Systemic Approach to International Politics (Princeton, 1968a).Google Scholar
Young, O. R., ‘Political Discontinuities in the International System’ in World Politics (April) XX (1968b), pp. 369–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Young, O. R., The Politics of Force (Princeton, 1968c).Google Scholar
Zartman, I. W., ‘Africa as a Subordinate State System in International Relations’ in International Organization (Summer) XXI (1967), pp. 545–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zimmerman, W., ‘Hierarchical Regional Subsystems and the Politics of System Boundaries’ in International Organization (Winter) 26 (1972), pp. 18–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zinnes, D. A., ‘Prerequisites for the Study of System Transformation’, Chapter 1 in Holsti, O. R., George, A. L. and Siverson, R. M. (eds.), Change in the International System (Boulder, Col., 1980).Google Scholar