374 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION nantly economic and are associated with changes in the global economy over the course of the past 1oo years.In particular,this essay is concerned with de- scribing those economic trends which have served to undermine the tradi- tional state-centric view.In addition to this descriptive task,this essay is also concerned with explanations of the growth of transnational economic activi- ties.In both instances the present endeavor inevitably covers issues of great controversy.On the one hand,proponents of the state-centric view have of- fered cogent reasons for maintaining,if modifying,the traditional perspective by treating phenomena such as multinational corporations,international eco- nomic organizations,and multinational economic treaty commitments as"en- vironing conditions"which have restricted but not invalidated the state-centric view.On the other hand,even among those who accept the evidence that these external factors ought to be isolated and analyzed apart from national govern- ments,there is no consensus on a theory which would explain the develop- ment of these factors or indicate their relevance. I have chosen to focus my attention on an empirical rather than a theoretical issue-namely,whether there exists in contemporary international economic relations an isolable set of factors which can be fruitfully thought of as trans- national and,if so,what the significance of those factors is for the foreign and domestic policies of various states.In so doing I have evaded the task of formulating a theoretical explanation of the growth of transnational economic activities.Neither I nor others have yet been able to develop or test a theory which would be adequate to that task.When such a theory is developed,how- ever,it will clarify what are currently the most arguable questions concerning international economic relations.Among these are the following questions:Is the level of international economic interdependence increasing or decreasing? Is such a change in economic interdependence universal or regional?Is the growth in transnational activities the consequence of permanent changes in international affairs in general or of the particular and transitory political con- figuration of forces which developed after World War II?Do transnational economic activities raise fundamental political questions about the ability of the modern nation-state to control them?Do the dynamics of transnational processes suggest a prognosis of stability or of instability in international af- fairs?Finally,what are the consequences of this prognosis for international peace? I.ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES AS TRANSNATIONAL PROCESSES If transnational interactions are understood as "the movement of tangible or intangible items across state boundaries when at least one actor is not an agent of a government or an intergovernmental organization,it immediately be- comes obvious why a transnational perspective on international affairs should 1 Joseph S.Nyc,Jr,and Robert O.Keohane,introductory essay to this volume,p.332