Structural approaches in International Politics move away from the realist focus on state power and the liberal focus on cooperation. Instead, they emphasize the economic structure of the global system. These theories argue that the international political order is shaped by the global capitalist economy, which creates a hierarchy of nations.

Developed by Immanuel Wallerstein, this theory views the world not as a collection of individual states, but as a single world-system driven by capitalism.

The Tripartite Structure

Wallerstein categorizes countries into three distinct economic zones based on their role in the global economy:

• The Core: Highly developed, industrialized nations (e.g., USA, UK, Japan). They control world finance, possess advanced technology, and exploit the other zones for resources and labor.
• The Periphery: Underdeveloped countries (often in the Global South) that provide raw materials and cheap labor to the core. They are economically dependent and possess weak state structures.
• The Semi-Periphery: Nations that have some industrialization and act as a buffer between the core and periphery (e.g., India, Brazil, China). They exploit the periphery but are themselves exploited by the core.

Key Characteristics

• Economic Determinism: Politics is a tool used by the economically powerful to maintain their dominance.
• Exploitation: Wealth flows from the periphery to the core, ensuring that the poor remain poor while the rich get richer.
• Global Division of Labor: Different regions perform different tasks (manufacturing vs. raw material extraction) to serve the global market.

Dependency Theory, notably advocated by Andre Gunder Frank, explains the underdevelopment of Third World nations as a direct result of their integration into the global capitalist system.

Core-Periphery (Metropolis-Satellite) Model

Frank argued that the global economy is divided into a Metropolis (developed center) and Satellites (underdeveloped periphery).

• The Development of Underdevelopment: Underdevelopment is not a "natural" stage but is actively created by the metropolis to serve its own interests.
• Resource Drain: Surplus value and raw materials are drained from the satellites to enrich the metropolis.
• Unequal Exchange: International trade is rigged to benefit developed nations while keeping developing nations in a state of permanent debt and dependency.

Formula: Wealth of the North = Poverty of the South (through systemic exploitation).