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What John Mearsheimer thinks about America

@john-mearsheimer · 22 positions · 0 changes of mind

Political scientist at the University of Chicago, author of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics and the founding statement of offensive realism.

John Mearsheimer did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

5 dated positions, 2023, in their own words. Our reading of what John Mearsheimer has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingRussia's refusal to accept NATO on its border is exactly what the United States demands for its own neighbourhood.

    Their wordsWell, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. And if we don't like great powers coming into our neighborhood, it's hardly surprising that the Russians did not want NATO on their doorstep.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 10th of 22 in this recording

    Russiawar

    Interesting

  3. Our readingThe Israel lobby is an ordinary American interest group rather than a cabal, and it happens to be extremely powerful.

    Their wordsSo our argument is that the lobby is not doing anything that's illegal, or illicit, or immoral, or unethical. It's just a good old-fashioned American interest group. And it just happens to be extremely powerful.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 18th of 22 in this recording

    Interesting

  5. Our readingDeterring China over Taiwan does not require being able to beat it, which the United States probably cannot do anyway.

    Their wordsA lot of people think that to make deterrence work, you have to be able to beat the Chinese and therefore, you need a much bigger military. And I don't think over time that's possible. I think it's probably not even possible now to beat the Chinese in a war over Taiwan or in a war in the South China Sea.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 20th of 22 in this recording

    Chinawar

    Interesting

  7. Our readingChina's leaders think in realist terms and America's do not, which is the more dangerous half of the pairing.

    Their wordsThe Chinese are my kind of people. They're realists, right? They speak my language. It's the United States that is not very realist. American leaders have a very powerful liberal bent and tend not to see the world in realist terms.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 21st of 22 in this recording

    China

    Interesting

  9. Our readingHispanic immigrants are integrating into the American mainstream faster than the European immigrants of the nineteenth century did.

    Their wordsAll the evidence is that Hispanics are integrating into the American mainstream more quickly and more effectively than the European immigrant groups that came starting around 1835.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 22nd of 22 in this recording

    immigrationEurope

    Interesting