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Includes bibliographical references (p. 303-320) and index. ; Conflict and crisis: concepts and overview findings on earthquakes I -- Protracted conflict-crisis model and findings on earthquakes II -- Crisis escalation to war: concepts, model, and findings on earthquakes III -- Crisis severity and impact: concepts and model -- Crisis intensity and fallout: findings on earthquakes IV -- Structure and stability: concepts and model -- Findings on the polarity-stability nexus -- Ethiopian (Abyssinian) War 1934-36, multipolarity, Africa -- Berlin Blockade 1948-49, bipolarity, Europe -- Bangladesh 1971, bipolycentrism, Asia -- Gulf War I 1990-91, unipolycentrism, Middle East -- Coping/crisis management: findings on earthquakes V -- What have we learned? ; Mode of access: Internet.

This paper is designed to enrich basic concepts. The specific goals are twofold: to stimulate a renewed interest in a System orientation to international relations ; and to prepare the g round for an analysis of the system-crisis linkage, that is, crises as international earthquakes or triggers to System change. The first section analyses approches to international Systems. In the light of their shortcomings a revised definition of a System is presented, along with a discussion of the core System components - structure, process, issue, boundaries, context and environment. The second part attempts to break fresh ground on the concepts of stability and equilibrium. The third section provides a new perspective on systemic crisis. Part four confronts the major task of linking the unit and System levels of crisis analysis, conceptually and empirically.