Mearsheimer coming to the right conclusions with the worst intentions is something people just need to get over lol His analysis makes sense and I’m not going to expect someone who literally gets paid by Washington to suddenly sing the internationale
Exactly, and frankly I find the honesty refreshing. He’s not trying to dress it up as US being benevolent and whatever. He just openly states that the US sees China as competition, and wants to prevent a competitor from developing.
Realpolitik is often used as imperial cheer leading and appologia. Mearshiemer is a real one for the fact that his version of realpolitik binds the empire as well. A major difference with him is that Mearshiemer recognizes that as powers grow their understanding of what security under the realpolitik framework becomes more paranoid. He essentially recognizes that under realpolitk the power of a country is inverse to it’s actual ability to hold to its advertised values.
I will always read Mearshiemer because his analyses are actually serious. Also fun fact Mearshiemer is actually Sanders left in his personal politics which is something you will never understand from reading his work. That’s why he’s worth reading.
I very much agree. I’d also add that his view is basically to focus on the selection pressures within the geopolitical environment, and then try to understand how successful strategies evolve in response to these pressures. He posits that countries either pursue strategies that allow them to thrive, or they get swept away by others. It’s a very rational way to approach things.
China should strangle the US’s development uno reverso
That second half of the interview amounts to John Mearsheimer saying ‘The US can no longer stop what I consider to be China’s clearest path towards regional hegemony’. It is not just throwaway futurism. It’s not something he says lightly. It’s his entire worldview and theory coming into place.
He continues to assert that it is in the USA’s interest to slowdown Chinese economic growth as much as possible, but even then he would bet that such measures would not slow China down and would likely hurt the US more in the process.
NGL, I want to believe.
