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IR theory Mearsheimer samples
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Word Count: 2,142 1John J. Mearsheimer’s The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001) is one of
the new canonical works in international relations theory. Written almost a
decade after the emergence of the issue-based approach, The Tragedy of Great
Power Politics seeks to be the definitive realist rebuttal. Unfortunately, in this
regard it fails fairly spectacularly. This paper will show Mearsheimer’s
offensive realism can describe neither past nor present, fails to predict the
future, and should not be considered a crucial piece of scholarship in our
field.
What it Gets Right
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics is a not a work without its merits.
Mearsheimer offers a superficially credible explanation of the past. That
states should be primarily concerned with their own well-being and continued
existence seems plausible – one of the base criteria a theory must meet
(Lakatos 1970). However, a critical reading of the work finds offensive
realism as an explanatory and a predictive theory to be lacking. The
importance placed on prudence is to be expected from a realist work of
theory, and Mearsheimer is right to stress that states ought to do what is in
their self-interest after an examination of the evidence. Unfortunately,
Mearsheimer woefully misunderstands what evidence states ought to be
looking at in order to make these decisions. Mearsheimer also correctly
identifies the great powers of the world a decade after it was written.
However, this shouldn’t be surprising. The United States was by all measures
, Word Count: 2,142 2
far and away the state with the greatest power-projection capability in 2001. It
should be no surprise that it remains the leading world power. Nor should it
be surprising that China has risen to become a great power. What is
surprising is how badly Mearsheimer misidentifies the nature of China’s rise to
great power status. The most redeeming quality of The Tragedy of Great Power
Politics has to do less with the theory than the author. Mearsheimer is a gifted
writer. A casual or insufficiently critical reader could come away from this
book without major qualms as to the theory’s capacity to explain reality.
Offensive realism as laid out in The Tragedy of Great Power Politics is, though,
only superficially plausible. Mearsheimer’s writing talent allows him to explain
away many of the theory’s fatal deficiencies; but in the end, poor theory
cannot be papered over.
What it Gets Wrong
As with any theoretical work, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics has its
shortcomings. Unfortunately, they are many and ultimately fatal to the
theory’s usefulness and the book’s value to scholars seeking to explain the
world and how it operates.
Mearsheimer admits his theory, like any other theory of social reality,
cannot explain all things; but he claims offensive realism provides explanatory
power for many great power interactions (Mearsheimer 2001, p. 6). This must
be tested with evidence. Valeriano (2009) provides such a test. Mearsheimer
predicts great powers will seek to power maximize and preemptively weaken
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