Journal on Policy and Complex Systems • Volume 4 , Number 1 • Spring 2018
A New Taxonomy for International Relations : Rethinking the International System as a Complex Adaptive System
Cesare Scartozzi Graduate School of Public Policy , University of Tokyo
7-3-1 , Hongo , Bunkyo , Tokyo 113-0033 , Japan ORCID number : 0000-0002-4350-4386 .
Abstract
The international system is a complex adaptive system with emergent properties and dynamics of self-organization and information processing . As such , it is better understood with a multidisciplinary approach that borrows methodologies from the field of complexity science and integrates them to the theoretical perspectives offered by the field of international relations ( IR ). This study is set to formalize a complex systems theory approach to the study of international affairs and introduce a new taxonomy for IR with the two-pronged aim of improving interoperability between different epistemological communities and outlining a formal grammar that set the basis for modeling international politics as a complex adaptive system .
Keywords : international politics , international relations theory , complex systems theory , taxonomy , adaptation , fitness , self-organization
Acknowledgment : The research for this paper was made possible by Professors Chung Min Lee , Matthias M . Maass and Ajin Choi , who gave me the opportunity to explore new fields of study and provided me with direction while I was pursuing my MA . Bio : Cesare Scartozzi is a Ph . D . candidate in Public Policy at the University of Tokyo . He holds an MA in Security and Foreign Policy , and a BA in International Studies and Development . He acts as editor-in-chief at Global Politics Review and serves as director of the Association for Social Sciences , Research and Innovation .
109 doi : 10.18278 / jpcs . 4.1.6