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What John Mearsheimer thinks about war

@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.

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

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

    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

    Russia

    Interesting

  3. 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

    Interesting

  5. 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

    RussiaAmerica

    Interesting

  7. 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

    Interesting

  9. 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

    Interesting

  11. 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

    Interesting

  13. 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

    ChinaAmerica

    Interesting