ABSTRACT
The basic structure and behavior of the world polity, unlike the world’s physical, chemical, and biological systems, is not predominantly given to us by the history of the natural universe. Rather, the world polity (like all political systems) is largely an artifact—founded and sculpted out of human values and learned skills, more than by nature’s givens—that can be remodeled, maintained, or demolished. The structure and norms of the world polity are the products of policies chosen by the states and other actors that make up the world system and its various subsystems. At the same time, the structure and norms of the world political system influence the behavior of the subsystems comprising it.
