Yes, appealing a to a world system as a sufficient reason for everything that happens is kind of like saying that oxygen is the cause of forest fires and the breakup of Pangaea was the root cause of the Roman Empire. Trivially true, but not very helpful.
^^^^^
CB: In the thread context of Wojtek's false claim that "it is an unquestionable fact that Western democracies created unprecedented peace and prosperity, thus ending the state of perpetual war that characterized earlier stages of development," pointing out that that "world system" in fact caused increased war and poverty over earlier stages of development is not trivial but very cogent.