  The systematics of strangeness enhancement is calculated using the HIJING and
VENUS models and compared to recent data on $\,pp\,$, $\,pA\,$ and $\,AA\,$
collisions at CERN/SPS energies ($200A\,\, GeV\,$). The HIJING model is used to
perform a {\em linear} extrapolation from $pp$ to $AA$. VENUS is used to
estimate the effects of final state cascading and possible non-conventional
production mechanisms. This comparison shows that the large enhancement of
strangeness observed in $S+Au$ collisions, interpreted previously as possible
evidence for quark-gluon plasma formation, has its origins in non-equilibrium
dynamics of few nucleon systems. % Strangeness enhancement %is therefore traced
back to the change in the production dynamics %from $pp$ to minimum bias $pS$
and central $SS$ collisions. A factor of two enhancement of $\Lambda^{0}$ at
mid-rapidity is indicated by recent $pS$ data, where on the average {\em one}
projectile nucleon interacts with only {\em two} target nucleons. There appears
to be another factor of two enhancement in the light ion reaction $SS$ relative
to $pS$, when on the average only two projectile nucleons interact with two
target ones.
