There are three basic routes to escalation inherent in the conduct of war: one or both sides deliberately escalate to win, one or both sides deliberately escalate to prevent defeat, or the fighting escalates not by deliberate choice but inadvertently. — 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
