The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Erosion of sovereignty is one more reason a powerful state with a liberal foreign policy ends up fighting never ending wars and… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Afghanistan is ideally suited for guerrilla warfare, as the Soviets discovered in the 1980s. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
To be sure, no one will miss such by-products of the Cold War as the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Containment is an alternative to war against a rising China. Nevertheless, war is always a possibility. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
When World War II started on September 1, 1939, the German army contained 3.74 million soldiers and 103 divisions. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
When the United States worked to contain the Soviet Union during the Cold War, we went to enormous lengths to get as… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
As we learned during the Cold War, the presence of massive nuclear arsenals does not stop great powers from worrying about conventional… — 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
Our understanding of the mechanisms of escalation in crises and war is limited at best, although we know the risks are considerable.… — 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 American expeditionary force would easily rout the Taliban in a conventional war - which is why there would not be one.… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Now that the Cold War is over with, it's kind of hard to take the Soviet Union seriously. We won, period. We… — 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
There are three basic routes to escalation inherent in the conduct of war: one or both sides deliberately escalate to win, one… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Great power wars are very costly and dangerous, causing massive loss of life and worldwide turmoil, and possibly spreading to involve other… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Respect for sovereignty is the most significant norm in international politics, and its purpose is to minimize war and facilitate peaceful relations… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
The German air offensives against British cities in World Wars I and II not only failed to coerce the United Kingdom to… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Convincing adversaries that they cannot achieve quick and decisive wins deters wars. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
The Persian Gulf war of 1991 and the Kosovo war in 1999 also hardened India's determination to possess nuclear weapons. The United… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
Nuclear weapons are an excellent deterrent against aggression, and India lives in a dangerous neighborhood. Since gaining independence in 1947, it has… — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
The reliability of the United States was not a serious problem during the Cold War, because the Soviet threat provided a powerful… — 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 Image
The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
Nuclear weapons are the ideal middle-class weapons for Americans. They provide massive amounts of deterrence on the cheap. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
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 Image
Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute. — John Mearsheimer Copy Share Image
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 Image
