korrents
John Mearsheimer

What John Mearsheimer thinks about war

@john-mearsheimer · 22 positions · On ppll ↗

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.

Filter war · Newest first
Topic
All 22war 13America 5Europe 5government 4Russia 4China 2democracy 1immigration 1politics 1
Sort
NewestOldest

Only John Mearsheimer on war. See everyone on war

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

  1. Our readingStates are not inherently aggressive; anarchy leaves them no choice but to behave aggressively.

    Their wordsSo it's very important to understand that I'm not arguing that states are inherently aggressive. My point is that as long as states are in anarchy, they have no choice but to behave in an aggressive fashion.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 3rd of 22 in this recording

  3. Our readingEconomic interdependence does not prevent war, because survival always trumps prosperity.

    Their wordsThe point is that economic interdependence at its root has prosperity as the core variable. In the realest story, the core variable is survival, and survival always trumps prosperity.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 5th of 22 in this recording

  5. Our readingThere is a good chance the Second World War would have happened even without Hitler.

    Europe

    Their wordsAnd I believe that there is a good chance you would've had World War II in the absence of Hitler. I believe that Germany was very powerful, it was deeply worried about the balance of power in Europe, and it had strong incentives to behave aggressively in the late 1930s, early 1940s.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 7th of 22 in this recording

  7. Our readingThere is no evidence Putin intended to conquer Ukraine, and the army he sent could not have done it.

    Russia

    Their wordsThere's no evidence he was interested in conquering all of Ukraine. There was no evidence beforehand that he was interested in conquering any of Ukraine. And there's no way that an army that had 190,000 troops, at the most, could have conquered all of Ukraine, it's just impossible.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 8th of 22 in this recording

  9. Our readingNATO expansion into Ukraine was the principal cause of the war, which makes the West principally responsible for it.

    Their wordsAnd of course, what they were negotiating about was NATO expansion into Ukraine, which was the principal cause of the war. People in the West don't want to hear that argument because if it is true, which it is, then the West is principally responsible for this bloodbath that's now taking place.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 9th of 22 in this recording

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

    RussiaAmerica

    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

  13. Our readingThe war in Ukraine will not end in a peace agreement but in an unstable frozen conflict.

    Their wordsI don't think there's any real prospect of a meaningful peace agreement. I think it's almost impossible. I think the best you can hope for at this point is, at some point the shooting stops, you have a ceasefire, and then you have a frozen conflict. And that frozen conflict will not be highly stable.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 11th of 22 in this recording

  15. Our readingUkraine should have kept its nuclear weapons in 1993, and keeping them would have made this war far less likely.

    Their wordsSo that's why I argued in '93 that if Ukraine kept its nuclear weapons that made war down the road much less likely. And I believe I was correct.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 13th of 22 in this recording

  17. Our readingIn a world of mutual assured destruction, nuclear weapons are used to manipulate risk rather than to win a battle.

    Their wordsThe way you use nuclear weapons in that world is you use them for manipulation of risk purposes, demonstration effect. You put both sides out on the slippery slope.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 14th of 22 in this recording

  19. Our readingThe October 7th attack was resistance to the Israeli occupation, not a response to the Saudi normalisation talks.

    Their wordsI think the main driving force is that the Palestinians feel oppressed as they should, and that this was a resistance move. They were resisting the Israeli occupation.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 15th of 22 in this recording

  21. Our readingThere is no military solution for Israel, because the Palestinians cannot be beaten into submission.

    Their wordsThe Palestinians want a state of their own. They don't want to live under occupation. And there's no military solution for Israel here. There has to be a political solution.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 16th of 22 in this recording

  23. Our readingWhat Israel is doing in Gaza is a massacre, but it is not a genocide.

    Their wordsI think what the Israelis are doing in Gaza represents a massacre. I would use that term given the number of civilians that they've killed and the fact that they've been indiscriminate in terms of how they've been bombing Gaza. But I would not use the word genocide.

    ↗John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3 | Lex Fridman Podcast #401youtube.com 19th of 22 in this recording

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

    ChinaAmerica

    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