Mr Putin surely knows that the costs of conquering and occupying large amounts of territory in eastern Europe would be prohibitive for… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
In fact, as soon as it declared independence, Ukraine should have been quietly encouraged to fashion its own nuclear deterrent. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
I'm a realist, and I thought from the get-go that NATO expansion was going to lead to one heck of a lot… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
If Ukraine becomes a pro-American liberal democracy, and a member of NATO, and a member of the E.U., the Russians will consider… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Since Lithuania is a NATO member, the United States would almost certainly come to its defense if Russia attacked the country. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Crimea, a casualty of the West's attempt to march NATO and the European Union up to Russia's doorstep, is surely lost for… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Georgia and Ukraine are not just states in Russia's neighborhood; they are on its doorstep. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Russia's invasion of Georgia in August 2008 should have dispelled any remaining doubts about Putin's determination to prevent Georgia and Ukraine from… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Since the mid-1990s, Russian leaders have adamantly opposed NATO enlargement, and in recent years, they have made it clear that they would… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Overall, the best formula for maintaining stability in post-Cold War Europe is for all the great powers - including Germany and Ukraine… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
I believe the Obama administration was asleep at the switch, not paying attention to what NATO and E.U. expansion - and promoting… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
When you're a country like Ukraine and you live next door to a great power like Russia, you have to pay careful… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Moscow cannot afford to lose in Ukraine, and it will use every means available to avoid defeat. Putin appears confident that Russia… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
When vital interests are at stake, countries are invariably willing to suffer great pain to ensure their security. There is no reason… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
NATO expansion, E.U. expansion, and turning Ukraine and Georgia and other countries into liberal democracies were all about creating a giant zone… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Ukrainian nuclear weapons are the only reliable deterrent to Russian aggression. If the U.S. aim is to enhance stability in Europe, the… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
In the eyes of Russian leaders, E.U. expansion is a stalking horse for NATO expansion. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
As the Cold War came to a close, Soviet leaders preferred that U.S. forces remain in Europe and NATO stay intact, an… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
The Russians have intensely disliked but tolerated substantial NATO expansion, including the accession of Poland and the Baltic countries. But when NATO… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Both NATO and the American alliance structure in Northeast Asia are institutions with deep roots that helped win a spectacular victory in… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Contrary to the conventional wisdom in the West, Moscow did not invade Ukraine to conquer it and make it part of a… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Putin was very clear, as were all his lieutenants, that their great fear was that Ukraine was becoming a Western bulwark on… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Since the mid-1990s, Russian leaders have adamantly opposed NATO enlargement, and in recent years, they have made it clear that they would not stand… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
Great powers react harshly when distant rivals project military power into their neighborhood, much less attempt to make a country on their border an… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
When the United States worked to contain the Soviet Union during the Cold War, we went to enormous lengths to get as many countries… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
The central aim of American foreign policy has traditionally been to dominate the western hemisphere while not permitting another great power to dominate Europe… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
Nuclear weapons are the ideal middle-class weapons for Americans. They provide massive amounts of deterrence on the cheap. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
Erosion of sovereignty is one more reason a powerful state with a liberal foreign policy ends up fighting never ending wars and fostering militarism… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
What disappoints me about Obama is that, when he came into office, he gave the impression he was going to reduce America's global commitments,… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
The question of whether or not the United States or any other great power should expand, should pursue regional hegemony, or pursue global hegemony,… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
The more closely any ism accords with human nature, the more relevance it will have in the real world. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
Offensive realism predicts that the United States will send its army across the Atlantic when there is a potential hegemon in Europe that the… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share
