Three Worlds of Development: The Theory and Practice of International Stratification

"...Quite simply, the book hypothesizes that viewed from an economic, a political, a military, or a social perspective the world exists in a condition of unstable equilibrium, specifically, in a triadic relationship: the First World led by the United States, the Second World led by the Soviet Union, and the Third World comprising the Afro-Asian bloc and portions of Latin America. This Third World is as incapable of preserving its goals and its functions apart from either of the major power centers as it was five years ago. Meanwhile, the Cold War involves three players rather than two. Every calculation of the United States by the Soviet Union bears consequences for the structure of the Third World. Every evaluation of the Soviet Union by the United States requires that a similar evaluation be made of Third World elite and mass sentiment..." -- Preface to the second edition.