Is Marxism still relevant in the study of International Relations Free Essay Example, 2500 words

They also sum up the bilateral relations between pairs of them. To be more accurate, there is a propensity of actions to interact thus producing results that cannot be comprehended by theories. To explain the complexity of interactions between nations, one can take the case of two chemicals –taken individually they may be harmless; however, taking a mixture of both may bring harmful effects. Secondly, there have been cases of patients suffering from taking a combination of two or three medicines that would have been helpful if they were taken individually. It is possible to obtain different results depending on the structure of choices and the actors’ strategic moves. It is argued that, concerning the international politics and taking the example of pan-Arabism and pro-Palestinian sentiments, when Egypt was strong, its influence was enhanced by pan-Arabism and pro-Palestinian sentiments (Telhami 1990, p. 12). One cannot infer that such sentiments can have similar impact on another rivalry between two actors because of the difference in the interacting variables. In explaining the outcomes of world politics, theories have been prone to examine one actor’s behaviour while overlooking the other with which it is interacting. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Marxism still relevant in the study of International Relations or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Teachers often make parallel errors through their failure to explore how the failure of students in tests may be attributed to the question they ask. Another complexity arises from actors’ reactions towards each other and the anticipations of the moves other interacting actors are likely to take, for example, in military and diplomatic surprises, one state may believe that the impediment to taking certain action is great to the extent that its adversary cannot undertake it. The resulting effect is that the state will not do much to avert or prepare for the action that may be taken by its adversary. One the other hand, Realist thinkers argue that most states constantly raise their defence capacity to enable them to defend themselves and advance their material interests necessary for survival. They assume that states have to do everything to maximize their likelihood for existence. Marxism transcends this thought. Marx and International Relations Marx did not write much literature about international relations; however, his ideas are relevant to the discipline of international relations to the extent that his ideas have found popularity among historians, politicians, academicians, and politics researchers. International relations are often accompanied by crises and conflicts because of capitalism and the inequalities arising from it.