WAR, HYPERCOMPLEXITY AND COMPUTER-SIMULATION

The scientific study of war has not yet shown any indication of a majo r breakthrough. For such a breakthrough to materialize it is paramount to approach the war phenomenon from a dynamic systems perspective. Pe rceived from this angle, war is placed in both an evolutionary and sys tems point of view, specifically implying a vision of war as one aspec t of the international political process, connected in various ways wi th other injurious forms of interaction as serious disputes and low le vel conflict behavior, but also supportive behavior like trade and co- operation. War constitutes a 'normal' event: no less than other social phenomena, it is the result of different over-time conjunctures of co mmon underlying behavioral mechanisms and resulting processes of inter action occurring within the higher level system's structure. In view o f the 'hypercomplex' nature of the concerned dynamics, the development of computer (simulation) models will become essential in the study of war and peace.