Level of analysis is used in the social sciences to point to the location, size, or scale of a research target.
Together, the unit of observation and the level of analysis help define the population of a research enterprise.
[4][5] The computational level of analysis identifies what the information processing system does (e.g.: what problems does it solve or overcome) and similarly, why does it do these things.
The physical level of analysis identifies how the information processing system is physically realized (in the case of biological vision, what neural structures and neuronal activities implement the visual system).
The framework of analysis originated from K. Waltz's 1959 book entitled Man, the State, and War.
Two writings may shed light on its advantages and disadvantages: M. Brawley's 2005 case studies of international economic relations[7] and S. Hu's 2015 analysis of small states' diplomatic recognition of Taiwan.
It may have been his need for power to hide a sense of inferiority, or it may have been his inability to understand the intricacies of statecraft, the way Otto von Bismarck did.
Thus, war is caused by aggressive or warlike states, not by evil, inept, or misguided people or the structure of power in the international system.
[9] In World War I, the internal collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or the brittle coalition inside Germany of agricultural and industrial interest, such as rye and iron, are often cited as important causes.
Stable and failed institutions are domestic level factors affecting state behavior.
Another worry here is existence of a rogue state, such as North Korea, which may pass nuclear weapons on to terrorists.
However, system wide institution does not always mean harmony among nations, as seen in the World War II.
Droughts caused by rising temperatures can cause global actors to form alliances to help procure critical resources – and as writers such as Peter Gleik and Michael Klare have shown, the possibility of "Water Wars" in dry countries in Africa and the Middle East are very possible.