Does the functioning of the world economy tend to concentrate wealth a — Robert Gilpin

"It would be premature to suggest that the nation-state is dead or dying."

"Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline of clearly defined political leadership."

"Powerful groups set constraints on and may even determine the actions of state authority. They constitute the society that is protected by the state; their particular concept of justice reigns. The definition and functioning of property rights tend to advance their interest and welfare. ...the basic domestic function of the state is to define and protect property rights of individuals and groups. ...The primary external function of the state is to protect the property rights and personal security of its members vis-à-vis the citizens and actions of other states."

"[In] the definition of international system... There is some "form of control" that regulates behavior and may range from informal rules of the system to formal institutions. ...A view prevalent among many scholars of political science is that the essence of international relations is precisely the absence of control... a condition of anarchy..."

"Ultimately...the hierarchy of prestige in an international system rests on economic and military power."

"The relative stability of the system is... largely determined by its capacity to adjust to the demands of the actors affected by changing political and environmental conditions."