Publication

John Mearsheimer, a giant among structural realists, has stuck to realist theory in a changing world. Not without its problems, Mearsheimer realizes: the unprecedented power of the US has rendered its domestic politics a force of global purchase, leading to dynamics not easily explained by structural realism. In this talk, he discusses, among others, how hard-core realists are now—surprisingly—closer to the radical left because of their shared adversity to armed interventions; argues that becoming a great IR theorists requires you to be an independent variable; and—despite seemingly radical changes— underscores the enduring tragedy of great power politics.