The World-Systems Analysis as a Radical Alternative to Political Realism and Liberal Idealism

This article analyzes the potential of world-systems analysis as a radical sociological alternative to mainstream theories of international relations, such as liberal idealism and political realism. It briefly outlines the main theoretical and methodological tenets of these traditional approaches. The intellectual genealogy of world-systems analysis is explored, along with a historical reconstruction of the conditions under which it emerged. The analysis demonstrates its connection to dependency theory and the world-systems approach employed by historians of the Annales school. Special attention is given to the philosophical foundations of the discussed concepts and their relationship to grand political narratives, as well as to practical knowledge (phronesis), which allows for a consistent examination of the differences between their problem-oriented and critical dimensions. The article highlights methodological challenges of world-systems analysis as a structuralist sociological theory that seeks to explain the stability of macro-social processes over extended periods (la longue durée). Particular focus is placed on the issue of semi-peripheral statehood and the limits of agency/subjectivity of individual states within the capitalist world-system at various stages of accumulation/hegemony cycles. Finally, the article demonstrates the potential of world-systems analysis as an applied theory with significant capacity for clarifying national interests and identifying attainable goals for national development by mapping the structure of political and economic opportunities available to individual states within the capitalist world-system.