ABSTRACT
In the view of modern systems theory, society is a social system which compasses all sense-making communications. Society is understood as a world society. Yet, different expectations intersect the continuity of communications in world society. Expectations thus create territorial, cultural and functional system boundaries. In the introduction, Stephan Stetter emphasizes that systems theory contrasts with most IR approaches which regard conflicts as a state of emergency or as something that should be avoided. While communications can always be accepted or rejected, every rejection is able to promote conflicts, if this rejection is followed by yet another rejection. On this basis, systems theory distinguishes between different expectations, which force chain rejections and stabilize conflict systems. Yet, conflict systems are often able to avoid violence and destructive mechanisms.
