The view that the tectonosphere – atmosphere – ionosphere – magnetosphere system  (TAIMS) can be considered as a complex open dynamic nonlinear system is justified. The basic aspects of the system paradigm are stated and illustrated by many examples. The trigger mechanisms belong to the most important properties of the system. High-energy phenomena in the system give rise to the entire cluster of processes and to the reconstruction in the subsystem coupling. Active experiments in the TAIMS showed the limitation of the linear description of the subsystem response to powerful energy releases, allowed us to establish the possibility of large-scale and global-scale perturbation initiation from local and localized energy releases, as well as revealed and identified the types of waves transferring these disturbances. It is established that energetic particle precipitation from the magnetosphere at middle latitudes accompanies the majority of nonsteady processes in the TAIMS.