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 great powers (as well as smaller powers) pursue vested self-interest in their dealings with other actors. It is "offensive" in that it suggests that self-interest of this type will lead, at least in certain situations, to violent conflict designed to further the elf-interests of specific state actors or to inhibit the power acquisition of a potential or actual hegemon.
Mearsheimer (2001, p. 19) makes it clear that "The principal driving force in international politics is the will to pow...