DRIIE-Security studies

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STRATEGIC CHAOS THEORY: A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR INTERPRETING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN THE ERA OF GLOBAL DISORDER
(Department of International Relations and European Integration of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, 2025) Băcanu Vasile, Mirela
This article proposes the concept of ‘strategic chaos’ as an emerging analytical perspective in the study of contemporary international relations. Inspired by chaos theory from the natural sciences and complex systems thinking (Lorenz, Prigogine, Morin), the paper investigates how instability is deliberately cultivated by various state and non-state actors as a geopolitical tool. By integrating ideas from classical theories of international relations (realism, liberalism, constructivism) with elements of complexity theory, the proposed approach outlines a complementary lens to understand phenomena such as frozen conflicts, recurrent crises, information warfare or strategic ambiguity. Case studies on Russia, China, the United States, and other actors such as ISIS or North Korea demonstrate that instability can become a strategic end in itself—not merely a secondary outcome of conflict. The concept of strategic chaos thus brings into focus the possibility that unpredictability and disorder may not only be tolerated but actively exploited in the context of an increasingly fragmented, multipolar, and volatile international system