WORLD-SYSTEM THEORY: STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF A RADICAL PERSPECTWE

World-System theory is not usually seen as a particularly
"international relations" theory, but is often considered as a
sociological theory with implications for international relations. It
might be, however, seen as a kind of international critical theory
.as well. In this case, it is clearly a non-mainstream IR theory that
goes beyond the mere description and explanation of the "reality"
of international life to include critical reflections about it and also
to criticize the theoretical and meta-theoretical foundations of IR
as a discipline. This article evaluates the world-system theory as a
critical approach to international relations. It first examines the
meta-theoretical foundations of the theory. The second part deals
with its understanding of the interstate system including its
constitution, its components and the prospects for its
transformation. The article concludes that an ontological
characteristic of the theory, i.e., its structuralist approach that
underestimates the role of agents in internaational life seriously
constraints its potential as a critical theorizing of international
relations.