Dear Jim Blaut:
What "Europe", or more precisely its leading and future powers (Venice and
Portugal and their allies) possessed, was a nascent epistemic community of
actors within and outside governments that pushed the agenda of
exploration, expansion, and integration. This community of cartographers
and explorers set the agenda for European expansion with leaders like
Henry of Portugal and the Doges of Venice.
India and China did not possess either the community of actors nor the
governments that set the agendas. It is not enough to have the
capabilities, there must exist the "idea" to put the capabilities to use.
While this may make research difficult, it deserves an important place in
world systems studies.
Daniel Whiteneck
USAF Academy