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Marxism's Tools for Contemporary International Relations Essay

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After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War between the Western Bloc and Eastern Bloc, the enduring ideological conflict between communism and capitalism was seen to come to an end. The global order has since entered into a neo-liberal capitalist era, with neo-liberal ideologies characterizing the various dimensions of the global order, such as international politics and economics. As the world is homogenizing into neo-liberal capitalist orders, the rich substances of the Marxist school on international relations seem rather distanced. However, this essay will argue the contrary. It seeks to justify that, instead of being irrelevant under the contemporary international relations, Marxism offer vital tools to contest…show more content…
Capitalism and neo-liberal ideologies have been adopted by the world as the natural orders, and relevant policies are taken as the common sense policies to be adopted for nations to prosper (Hobden & Jones, 2011). This can be represented by the policy union of nations around the world, particularly, developing countries. Many developing countries, more often than not, pursue neo-liberal policies, namely trade liberalization and reductions in state expenditure in the attempt to attain economic growth and sustain prosperity. In the private sector, entrepreneurism, risk-taking, and profit maximization are seen to be the drivers for sustaining prosperity and growth. Individual prosperity and happiness are seen as being intimately tied to monetary gain and materialism. This union of ideologies, be them at the national, economical, or individual level, do not take place in isolated regions. Rather, they are widely adopted, and its spread is accelerating under globalization.
In the contemporary globalizing world economy that is converging on capitalist principles, various issues arise in the realm of international relations. One of them is capitalist imperialism. Given the power of capitalists enhanced by technological advances, mobility, and easing of regulations, they are able to extend their power to almost every corner of the world. Often time, their activities are linked to exploitations of the labour, resources, economic and political
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