Global Political Economy And The Modern State System (historical Materialism Book)

In Global Political Economy and the Modern State System Tobias ten Brink contributes to an understanding of the modern state system, its conflicts, and its transformation. In contrast to the political attractiveness of optimistic theoretical approaches to globalisation, this book demonstrates how an analytical approach rooted in Global Political Economy (GPE) helps to explain both the tendencies towards integration and towards rivalry in international relations. By way of a historical reconstruction of different world order phases in the twentieth century, ten Brink analyses multiple, phase-specific variations of socioeconomic and geopolitical conflicts that are significant for the modern capitalist world system. Revised edition of Geopolitik. Geschichte und Gegenwart kapitalistischer Staatenkonkurrenz, Verlag Westflisches Dampfboot, Mnster, 2008. Contents 7 Acknowledgements 11 Foreword 13 Introduction 19 Organisation of the book 25 Part One Periods of Theorising Conflict in the Modern State System 27 Introduction to Part One 29 Chapter One Critical-Liberal, Marxist and Neo-Weberian Approaches 31 Chapter Two Power Politics and (Neo-)Realism within the Field of International Relations 43 Chapter Three Deficits and Desiderata for Future Research 47 1. Neorealism and power politics 48 2. Critical approaches 49 3. Preliminary summary 52 Part Two A Global Political Economy Framework for Explaining Geopolitics 55 Chapter Four Foundations for Analysing Capitalism 57 1. Analyses of the capitalist mode of production 57 1.1 Commodity production: Mutual dependence and competition 60 1.2 Commodity, money, capital: Exploitation and accumulation brought on by competition 61 2. Structural features of capitalism 62 2.1 Critical social forms 62 2.2 Four features of capitalism 66 2.2.1 Wage labour relations – the vertical axis of capitalist social conflicts 66 2.2.2 Relations of competition – the horizontal axis of capitalist social conflicts 68 2.2.3 Money relations 73 2.2.4 The individuation of the political and the plurality of individual states 75 2.2.4.1 Structural interdependence and ‘the interest of states in themselves’ 77 2.2.4.2 The plurality of individual states 79 Chapter Five Capitalism as a Globally Fragmented System across Space and Time 81 1. Combined and uneven development, relations of space and time, and the ‘international’ 82 1.1 The need for a global analytical perspective 82 1.2 Combined and uneven development and the level of the international and the inter-societal 84 1.3 A spatial economy of contemporary capitalism 89 2. The dynamic of the global economic process of accumulation 95 2.1 The inter- and trans-nationalisation of individual capitals, the world market/world economy, and the tendency towards crisis 95 3. The dynamic of the international state system 99 3.1 Multi-statehood as a structural characteristic of capitalism in space and time 99 3.2 International political institutions: The ‘rights of the strong’ and ‘second-order condensations’ 104 4. Considerations on various forms of competition 113 4.1 The dynamic of precapitalist imperialisms 113 4.2 Geopolitical and economic competition 117 4.3 Market competition, arms races and forms of geopolitical-military conflicts 127 4.3.1 The role of the arms economy and the ‘military-industrial complex’ 131 Chapter Six Historical Phases of the World Order and the Periodisation of Socio-Economic and Geopolitical Power Relations 133 1. Structural features, phases and constellations 134 1.1 Excursus: On the relationship between structure and agency 137 2. Hegemonic and non-hegemonic phases of the world order 138 3. Phases of socio-economic development 143 3.1 The rhythms of accumulation in the global economy 143 3.1.1 Dominant and late-developing economies 148 3.2 The inter- and transnationalisation of trade, investments, and production 149 3.2.1 The internationalisation and macro-regionalisation of commodity trade and commodity sales 150 3.2.2 The inter- and transnationalisation of investments and production 151 3.2.3 On the inter- and transnationalisation of corporations 154 3.2.3.1 Interim conclusion 158 3.2.4 Transnationalisation of classes? 158 3.2.5 Using the EU as an example of macro-regional integration of power élites 163 3.2.5.1 ‘Internal bourgeoisies’? 164 3.3 Periodising money and currency relations 166 3.3.1 The contemporary, non-hegemonic currency system 170 4. Phases of statehood 173 4.1 The politicisation of the economic, the economisation of the political:The ever-changing relations between the political and economic 173 4.1.1 Contemporary market-liberal statism 178 4.2 Phases of hard and soft geopolitics 182 4.2.1 Excursus: The economic effects of the geopolitical arms race during the Cold War 187 4.3 The structure of capitalist state competition and the Soviet Union 191 4.3.1 The pressures of capital accumulation in the Eastern bloc 195 4.3.2 Soviet geopolitics 200 4.3.3 The East-West conflict: Consequences for theory building, consequences for US politics 204 Part Three Market-Liberal Statism: Contemporary Geopolitical Phenomena 207 Introduction to Part Three 209 Chapter Seven The Balance between Soft and Hard Geopolitics 211 1. ‘Democratic wars’ 219 2. Excursus: international law within fragmented capitalism 221 Chapter Eight Geopolitical and Economic Competitive Relations 227 1. The aspirations and realities of US empire 227 2. The EU and the US: a conflict-laden partnership 232 3. China and the US: A new cold war? 238 3.1 State-permeated capitalist development 239 3.2 The integration of Chinese capitalism into a fragile world system 244 3.2.1 Currency disputes 246 3.3 China, international political institutions, and East Asian regionalisation 248 Summary 253 References 261 Index 287 Acknowledgements Preface by Bob Jessop Introduction Organisation of the book PART ONE: PERIODS OF THEORISING CONFLICT IN THE MODERN STATE SYSTEM I. Critical-liberal, Marxist and neo-Weberian approaches II. Power-politics and (Neo-)Realism within the field of International Relations III. Deficits and Desiderata for future research 1. Preliminary summary PART TWO: A GPE FRAMEWORK FOR EXPLAINING GEOPOLITICS I. Foundations for analysing capitalism 1. Analyses of the capitalist mode of production 2. Structural features of capitalism II. Capitalism as a globally fragmented system across space and time 1. Combined and uneven development, relations of space and time, and the ‘international’ 2. The dynamic of the global economic process of accumulation 3. The dynamic of the international state system 4. Considerations on various forms of competition III. Historical phases of the world order and the periodisation of socio-economic and geopolitical power relations 1. Structural features, phases and constellations 2. Hegemonic and non-hegemonic phases of world order 3. Phases of socio-economic development 4. Phases of statehood PART THREE: MARKET-LIBERAL STATISM: CONTEMPORARY GEOPOLITICAL PHENOMENA I. The balance between soft and hard geopolitics 1. ‘Democratic wars’ 2. Excursus: International law within fragmented capitalism II. Geopolitical and economic competitive relations 1. The aspirations and realities of US empire 2. The EU and the US: A conflict-laden partnership 3. China and the US: A new cold war? In Global Political Economy and the Modern State System Tobias ten Brink contributes to an understanding of the modern state system, its conflicts, and its transformation. In contrast to the political attractiveness of optimistic theoretical approaches to globalisation, this book demonstrates how an analytical approach rooted in Global Political Economy (GPE) helps to explain both the tendencies towards integration and towards rivalry in international relations. By way of a historical reconstruction of different ‘world order'phases in the twentieth century, ten Brink analyses multiple, phase-specific variations of socioeconomic and geopolitical conflicts that are significant for the modern capitalist world system.Revised edition of Geopolitik. Geschichte und Gegenwart kapitalistischer Staatenkonkurrenz, Verlag Westfälisches Dampfboot, Münster, 2008. By Tobias Ten Brink ; Translated By Jeff Bale. Revised And Shortened Version Of The Author's Dissertation Which Was Completed In March 2007 At The Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.