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Chaos and Complexity Theory in World Politics

2014; IGI Global; Linguagem: Inglês

10.4018/978-1-4666-6070-0

2475-6652

International Relations and Foreign Policy

The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousand fold" is a saying by Aristotle.The equivalent in today's world may well be that 'a butterfly's wings in Argentina may cause a tornado in Mexico'.Ever since humans started questioning the system they belong to, the conclusion has always been that everything has an initial reason which affects the future but does not always make it predictable.In this sense, chaos theory makes sense of a term which is not only a mathematical phenomenon but also a key word that has just started being applied to the social sciences.The potential it carries in making us understand the world of social sciences is immense.Though 'chaos' and 'complexity' have been mentioned for centuries and in different guises, they have never been as popular as in the 21st century, the age of information, technology, communication, speed, networks, conflicts, digital born and so on.The Millennium Age has seen an explosion of human capacity in terms of the sheer velocity through which we are now able to instantly reach information that was previously inaccessible but to the most savvy or technologically gifted.As a natural consequence, habits, lifestyles, beliefs and even traditions are being redefined the world over.Beginning with the first ever televised war in history, the first Gulf War, human tragedy, pain or joy can now reverberate across the world in an instant, often causing emergency world summits, humanitarian campaigns and even military interventions in the name of protecting fellow human beings.It is a long road travelled from the stability of terror that characterized the Cold War, and it has brought with it new opportunities to alleviate human suffering as well as new challenges and questions regarding the power of the mighty and its abuse in the name of high ideals.Change has therefore been introduced in a frantic pace, and the recent uprisings in the Middle East are a perfect example.When Muhammed Buazizi, a 24-year-old protester, burnt himself in Tunisia in 2010, he lit a fire in the brains of people in Arabic countries.Following that tragic incident, people, particularly the young, revolted against totalitarian governance, poor human rights, economic problems, and massive social inequity.Many of them demanded a say in the running of their countries, to be listened to and respected.Regardless of the eventual outcome of such revolts, diverse in nature and with unpredictable consequences, the recent past has shown that this was by no means an isolated phenomenon.The world over, not least in Europe and its periphery, masses of people have taken to the streets to voice their dissatisfaction with modern governance, even in those countries where parliamentary democracy and the rule of law seem well-entrenched.Often such protests have escalated into violent standoffs with state authorities, and old-style political machinations have achieved little in questing the thirst of people, and especially the young generation, for liberty, pluralism and an end to the scar of poverty and social exclusion that plagues so many of our contemporary societies.It was as if one could hear Aristotle whisper his phrase, seeking to remind us of the interconnected world in which we live.