Home / Authors / John Mearsheimer Books

John Mearsheimer

John Mearsheimer Books

Professor

John Mearsheimer is a renowned international relations theorist and academic, born on December 14, 1947. He is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago, specializing in international political theory, international security, and U.S. foreign policy. Mearsheimer is known for his contributions to realism in international relations, particularly his development of the 'neorealism' theory.

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Up...

A source page for quotes linked to John Mearsheimer.

0 quotes

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

A source page for quotes linked to John Mearsheimer.

0 quotes

Related Quotes

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

World International Godzilla

Author:John Mearsheimer

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

Way Facts Dangerous International Ruthless

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

“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.”

World Reason Political Powerful Leader Century Periods Enlightenment Europe Tradition Roots Employed Better Place Political Leaders

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

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

World States Would Be Ideals Irrelevant Ideal World

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

“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.”

Littles Would Be Fighting Easy Interest Assuming Burden Determined Germany Rivals Exploits Great Power 1930s

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

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

States Wealth Levels Size Population

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

“States have two kinds of power: latent power and military power.”

Kind Two States Military Latent Military Power

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

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

States Powerful Most Powerful Disputes

Author:John Mearsheimer

“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.”

World War Lost United Cities Air British Surrender Kingdoms War Of The Worlds Germany World War I Offensive United Kingdom Coerce

Author:John Mearsheimer

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

States Dangerous Army International Continental

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

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

States Might Care Wealth Economic Military Foundation Relative

Author:John Mearsheimer

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

States Grows Growth Situation Economy Economic Ideals Rivals Economic Growth

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

“Bandwagoning is a strategy for the weak.”

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

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

Way Important States Benefits Behave Unexpected

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

“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.”

World Economy Progress Economic Majors Unions Empires Soviet Technological Soviet Union Economic Power Technological Progress

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

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

Self Results Behavior Argument Self Defeating Behavior

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

“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.”

States United United States Europe Army Locals Realism Offensive Great Power

Author:John Mearsheimer

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

World War Millions Army Soldier War Of The Worlds Division World War Ii World War I September

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

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

Goal Forever Survival Including Prosperity Subordinates Great Power Vigilant

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

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

Believe I Believe Europe Structure Asia

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

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

States United Powerful United States China

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

“Decapitation is a fanciful strategy.”

Book:The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

About the Author

Born: December 14, 1947
Known for: Professor
Quotes: 22

Related Topics

States World Army Economic Europe Great Power International Powerful United Dangerous

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)Related source material

The Tragedy of Great Power PoliticsRelated source material

Similar Authors

Noam ChomskyBrowse related quotes
George FriedmanBrowse related quotes
Kenneth WaltzBrowse related quotes
David SwansonBrowse related quotes
Zbigniew BrzezinskiBrowse related quotes
Tariq AliBrowse related quotes
Leon PanettaBrowse related quotes
Joseph StalinBrowse related quotes
Vladimir PutinBrowse related quotes
Condoleezza RiceBrowse related quotes