Offensive Realism John Mearsheimer's T

John Mearsheimer's The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

debunks the notion that in the aftermath of the Cold War, and with the end of bipolarity and the tensions that it generated, the path was smooth for the development of democracy in emerging countries and that the emergence of mutual trust would result in global peace. Indeed, Mearsheimer (2001, xi) states n his preface that the violence of the twentieth century "will continue far into the new millennium. Hopes for peace will probably not be realized, because the great powers that shape the international system fear each other and compete for power as a result."

At issue in this report is a determination of what is meant by the notion of "offensive realism" and the viability of this theoretical approach to analyzing and understanding contemporary geopolitical movements or conflicts. Based on ideas advanced by Mearsheimer, "offensive realism" as defined herein (and interpreted by this writer) is understood as a process by means of which great power seek the maximization of their own share of power or ability to influence geopolitical relations. Subsumed within this approach to power politics is the assertion that the creation of a multipolar as opposed to a distinctly bipolar world introduces competition among states that seeks, among other things, to prevent the rise and ascendancy of a hegemonic power. The theory is realist in that it recognizes the inherent self-interest with which gr

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y using military force, violence, and even weapons of mass destruction. Certainly, any observer of recent events involving Russia must recognize that though its hegemonic position in Eastern Europe and Asia has been severely diminished in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia continues to behave offensively in an effort to recapture lost power. This suggests that Mearsheimer's (2001, p. 378) assessment of Russia is correct. This analyst notes that "Russia's actions in the breakaway republic of Chechnya makes it clear that it is wiling to wage a brutal war if it thinks its vital interests are threatened." Integral to Mearsheimer's (2001, p. 156) theory of offensive realism and great power politics is the notion of balancing, in which "a great power assumes direct responsibility for preventing an aggressor from upsetting the balance of power." The United States pursued this type of policy with the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War and numerous other examples of balancing can be identified. Currently, it is also possible to identify balancing efforts that have included the use of military force. For example, the United States, under President George Herbert Walker Bush, led a coalition to restore na

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