10.17192/meta.2015.5.3793 Elsenhans, Hartmut Hartmut Elsenhans The Concept of the Periphery as a Constitutive Part of the Capitalist World System Middle East - Topics + Arguments : Vol 5 (2015) Philipps-Universität Marburg 2015 Imperialism World Systems Export-Led Manufacturing Development Euro-Arab Cooperation Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS) 2018-01-31 2015-11-03 en JournalArticle https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0003/2015/103/3793 urn:nbn:de:hebis:04-0003-2015-103-37930 https://doi.org/10.17192/meta.2015.5.103 https://journals.uni-marburg.de/0003/2015/103/3793/3793.png 2196-629X application/pdf The category "periphery" is useful for describing positions in the international system. The analytical content however, is limited: Under capitalist conditions, overcoming "underdevelopment"/peripheral positions in the world system do not depend on the availability of surplus. Instead, overcoming "underdevelopment" has been achieved by devaluation-driven, export-oriented manufacturing, and therefore, by deliberately accepting exploitation for achieving comparative advantage. With regards to the MENA region, this "East Asian strategy" seems unfit because of limited capacities in wage goods production, especially food. 2196-629X Middle East - Topics + Arguments Vol 5 (2015)