Can interdependence theory of international relations explain the geopolitical system?

The case that interdependence theory does explain the system: that dense links between states change the cost of coercion, that the restraint and the carve-outs this produces are visible and patterned, and that the theory gets the agenda right.

The case that interdependence theory cannot explain the system: that it predicts well only while the stakes are low, that states bear enormous cost once a core interest is at issue, and that unequal linkage is leverage rather than restraint.