The Second World

I've never been a fan of Wallerstein's core/periphery model, and I'm spending some time this semester making sure I understand his argument. My most immediate dislike comes from its binary nature. It seems like a restatement of the 1st world/3rd world model of the world. The problem with 1st world/3rd world thinking, however, is the neglect given to a presumed 2nd world.

Coincidentally, while I have this percolating in the back of my brain, I came across Parag Khanna's analysis of the decline of US geopolitical power, "Waving Goodbye to Hegemony." Khanna meditates on the changing nature of "second-world" nations and how they are aligning themselves geopolitically.

It's a great, thought-provoking piece adapted from his forth-coming book, The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order.