John J. Mearsheimer on “Offensive Realism” in Foreign Policy

Hosted by Alan Alexandroff

It was with great pleasure that I welcomed into the virtual studio John J. Mearsheimer. John is one of the leading exponents of the School of Realism in international relations. With his book The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, published in 2001, John described and elaborated the foreign policy theory and practice of “Offensive Realism”.

John has been a persistent critic of U.S. foreign policy critics and their creation and elaboration of the liberal international order. His critique has been fully argued in his two most recent works: the book The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities, published in 2018 and his recent extended article in International Security, “Bound to Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Liberal International Order”.

John has taught international relations for many years at the University of Chicago. He has made quite a name for himself in his works on Realism in international relations. I was very excited to get John into the studio so we could get John to discuss the Liberal Order and get his views on American foreign policy in the ‘Age of Trump’.

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