John Mearsheimer Quotes

• In the anarchic world of international politics, it is better to be Godzilla than Bambi.

  John Mearsheimer

  World, Godzilla, International

  "China's Unpeaceful Rise". Current History, Volume 105, 2006.

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• States care about relative wealth, because economic might is the foundation of military might.

  John Mearsheimer

  Military, Foundation, Care

  "The Tragedy of Great Power Politics". Book by John Mearsheimer, 2001.

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• Great powers must be forever vigilant and never subordinate survival to any other goal, including prosperity.

  John Mearsheimer

  Goal, Forever, Survival

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.388, W. W. Norton & Company

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• Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute.

  John Mearsheimer

  Powerful, Most Powerful, Disputes

  "The Tragedy of Great Power Politics". Book by John Mearsheimer, 2001.

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• The sad fact is that international politics has always been a ruthless and dangerous business, and it is likely to remain that way.

  John Mearsheimer

  Way, Facts, Ruthless

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.19, W. W. Norton & Company

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• A state's potential power is based on the size of its population and the level of its wealth.

  John Mearsheimer

  Size, Population, Levels

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.60, W. W. Norton & Company

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• Bandwagoning is a strategy for the weak.

  John Mearsheimer

  Strategy, Weak

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.180, W. W. Norton & Company

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• Offensive realism predicts that the United States will send its army across the Atlantic when there is a potential hegemon in Europe that the local great powers cannot contain by themselves.

  John Mearsheimer

  Army, Europe, United States

  "The Tragedy of Great Power Politics". Book by John Mearsheimer, 2001.

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• China, in short has the potential to be considerably more powerful than even the United States.

  John Mearsheimer

  Powerful, United States, China

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.415, W. W. Norton & Company

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• States have two kinds of power: latent power and military power.

  John Mearsheimer

  Military, Two, Kind

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.72, W. W. Norton & Company

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• In an ideal world, where there are only good states, power would be largely irrelevant.

  John Mearsheimer

  World, Would Be, States

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.33, W. W. Norton & Company

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• Decapitation is a fanciful strategy.

  John Mearsheimer

  Strategy

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.126, W. W. Norton & Company

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• The ideal situation for any state is to experience sharp economic growth while its rivals' economies grow slowly or hardly at all.

  John Mearsheimer

  Growth, Rivals, Economic

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.161, W. W. Norton & Company

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• The most dangerous states in the international system are continental powers with large armies.

  John Mearsheimer

  Army, States, Dangerous

  John J. Mearsheimer (2002). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics”, p.172, W. W. Norton & Company

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• The liberal tradition has its roots in the Enlightenment, that period in the eighteenth-century Europe when intellectuals and political leaders had a powerful sense that reason could be employed to make the world a better place.

  John Mearsheimer

  Powerful, Europe, Roots

  John J. Mearsheimer (2002). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics”, p.31, W. W. Norton & Company

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• In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler believed that his great-power rivals would be easy to exploit and isolate because each had little interest in fighting Germany and instead was determined to get someone else to assume the burden. He guessed right.

  John Mearsheimer

  Fighting, Rivals, Littles

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.55, W. W. Norton & Company

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• Important benefits often accrue to states that behave in an unexpected way.

  John Mearsheimer

  Important, Benefits, Way

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.183, W. W. Norton & Company

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• I believe that the existing power structures in Europe and Northeast Asia are not sustainable through 2020.

  John Mearsheimer

  Believe, Europe, Asia

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.402, W. W. Norton & Company

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• The Soviet Union and its empire disappeared in large part because its smokestack economy could no longer keep up with the technological progress of the world's major economic powers.

  John Mearsheimer

  Progress, World, Unions

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.219, W. W. Norton & Company

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• This self-defeating behavior, so the argument goes, must be the result of warped domestic politics.

  John Mearsheimer

  Self, Argument, Behavior

  John J. Mearsheimer (2003). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)”, p.228, W. W. Norton & Company

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• The German air offensives against British cities in World Wars I and II not only failed to coerce the United Kingdom to surrender, but Germany also lost both wars.

  John Mearsheimer

  War, Air, Cities

  "The Tragedy of Great Power Politics". Book by John Mearsheimer, 2001.

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• When World War II started on September 1, 1939, the German army contained 3.74 million soldiers and 103 divisions.

  John Mearsheimer

  War, Army, Soldier

  John J. Mearsheimer (2002). “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics”, p.371, W. W. Norton & Company

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