Annie... (no exclamation marks this time.. I got ur attention already :)

Marks theory of 'value'.. I must look that up. *googles* ok..got it.
As is pointed out, Marx viewed society as a WHOLE, and his system fails unless society is restructured along those lines.
But my goodness, he was WAYYYY behind the 8 ball, for 2 reasons. Firstly, he neglected to factor in basic human nature which is aspirational, family oriented (which he appears to have tried to destroy, replacing it with the State) but more than anything, human nature is ETHNIC.
All he had to do, to see where his theory would fail, was to read the book of Acts. Its also a good place for current political theorists, specially those of the 'multi-cultural' ilk to learn why such policies are not only doomed, but dangerous.

Can I persuade you to read the passages concerned ? It is most revealing, whether one is an atheist or believer, it is still most instructive psychologically.

GOOD NEWS: Acts 2:42 to end of chapter (this is true 'communism')

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=51&chapter=2&version=31

BAD NEWS: Acts 6:1-4 (this is why it will fail)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=51&chapter=6&version=31

I don't believe any social 'system' will ultimately 'work'. They always degenerate into the condition of the 2nd passage I listed here. Only when people are restored to the condition of the first passage, can a system work. (justice, caring, beneficial)

I'd be happy for you to try to kick the stuffing out of my view here :)

Prof Avineri is exactly hitting the bull’s eye. Iraq is an artificial country created for the express benefit of the British Empire in total disregard to the people who lived there. The British ruled by setting one people against another. All the different ethnic groups of Iraq hate the others just like in the rest of the Arab world. The best that should have been done after destroying Saddam‘s regime was to divide artificial Iraq into Kurdistan (way overdue) Sunnistan and Shiastan. Muslims the world over can hardly cry about it since they did not cry after the creation of two Muslim states: Bosnia and Kosovo. Three more Muslim states, so what? The what is each would have to defend itself from the other as every Arab state has to defend itself from it’s Arab neighbors. The neighborhood would be much safer. All the states in the Middle East breath easier while screaming bloody murder. As it is, there will never be a democracy in Iraq as there is none in any Arab country with even homogenous societies. Getting out of the hell hole of Iraq will not cause anymore killing than there is already now.