ABSTRACT
In general, the modal outcome predicted for most developing countries by dependency theorists is retarded, or at best distorted, development. This outcome is produced largely through politically enforced "unequal exchange" in the global marketplace. Nevertheless, even world system theory allows for the possibility that some—albeit only a few—countries will succeed in upgrading their status within the global division of labor either through "development by invitation" or through exceptionally vigorous and fortuitous transformation (Ruggie 1983; Wallerstein 1976). The exact circumstances under which this occurs, however, and the nature of the process that determines such exceptional outcomes remain to be explored in detail, particularly for the twentieth century. In this regard, the role of "conservative" interstate political-military relations, as opposed to "liberal" intramarket commercial relations, requires more emphasis.
