Reflections on systemism, Canadian foreign policy and international relations

ABSTRACT

This special issue of CFPJ has introduced systemism, a graphic approach to the study of Canadian foreign policy and International Relations (IR). It is beyond the scope of this final essay to cover even a fraction of the insights and critiques that have been offered along the way, so a few items are identified as particularly salient with regard to recognizing what has been accomplished so far and identifying new directions for research in tandem with systemism. The brief essay that follows will focus on the following topics: gains in substantive knowledge; insights about theorizing; pedagogical applications; reflections on progress; and decision-making support. The essay concludes with a few general reflections about the future of systemism, Canadian foreign policy and IR.

RÉSUMÉ

Ce numéro spécial de CFPJ a introduit le systémisme, une approche graphique de l'étude de la politique étrangère canadienne et des relations internationales (RI). Il n'appartient pas à cet essai final de couvrir ne serait-ce qu'une fraction des perspectives et des critiques qui ont été formulées en cours de route, de sorte que quelques éléments sont identifiés comme particulièrement importants en ce qui concerne la reconnaissance de ce qui a été accompli jusqu'à présent et l'identification de nouvelles directions pour la recherche en tandem avec le systémisme. Le bref essai qui suit se concentrera sur les sujets suivants : gains en matière de connaissances substantielles perspectives sur la théorisation applications pédagogiques réflexions sur les progrès et aide à la prise de décision. En guise de conclusion, l'essai propose quelques réflexions générales sur l'avenir du systémisme, de la politique étrangère canadienne et des RI.

KEYWORDS:

• Canadian foreign policy
• systemism
• visual international relations project
• systematic synthesis
• bricolagic bridging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Citations in name only refer to articles within this special issue on systemism.

2 Lane and Roberts, it should be acknowledged, express concerns about whether systemism unintentionally could make things worse, through a hegemonic effect, for those currently marginalized. This is a point open to debate in the future, with consciousness about the issue as perhaps the best weapon in the arsenal of inclusiveness.

3 See Brecher (1999) for an authoritative identification of flawed dichotomies in IR.

4 Nossal, Roussel and Paquin also observe that the systemist approach of today is much more accessible than in comparison to its point of origin within the philosophical exposition of Bunge (1996).

5 It is well beyond the scope of the present investigation to assess graphic alternatives to systemism; for a more detailed treatment, see Pfonner and James (2020) on salient options such as game theory.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah Gansen

Sarah Gansen is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California and a graduate of USC Gould School of Law. Patrick James is the Dana and David Dornsife Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California.