Hempstone Onyalo

REALISM IN KENYA

Theories are constantly emerging and competing with one another. For that reason it can be disorientating to learn about theoretical approaches. Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) set the stage for understanding how and why certain theories are legitimized and widely accepted. He also identified the process that takes place when theories are no longer relevant and new theories emerge. For example, human beings were once convinced the earth was flat and accepted this as fact. With the advancement of science and technology, humans discarded this previously accepted belief. Once such a discovery takes place, a ‘paradigm shift’ results and the former way of thinking is replaced with a new one. Although changes in IR theory are not as dramatic as the example above, there have been significant evolutions in the discipline. This is important to keep in mind when we consider how theories of IR play a role in explaining the world politics and how, based upon different time periods and our personal contexts, one approach may speak to us more than another. This paper comprehensively shows that realism is the best IR theory to useful in making sense of world politics because it best applies to our daily individual lives and, therefore, dominates how we shape international relations.