the global market system, characterizing it as a hierarchical structure with a central core and various peripheral layers. It outlines four distinct categories of nations based on their economic roles: central countries (like the US, living on confidence), quasi-central countries (Western Europe/Japan, relying on rationality and high-value industrial goods), peripheral industrial countries (China, India, relying on diligence), and raw material providers (living on luck). The text details the benefits of central status, such as wealth generation and economic stability, while also examining the inherent unfairness of this system due to factors like monetary policy control and seigniorage. Finally, it discusses challenges and "traps" faced by peripheral nations attempting to ascend this hierarchy, including the "resource curse" and ill-conceived industrialization strategies, concluding that the global market structure is robust and self-reinforcing despite its periodic self-renewal