Trade is the oldest and most important economic nexus among nations. Indeed, trade along with war ha been central to the evolution of international r… - Robert Gilpin

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

These two opposed forms of social organization, the modern state and the market, have evolved together through recent centuries, and their mutual interactions have become increasingly crucial to the character and dynamics of international relations in our world.

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.