Test Your Knowledge of The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by Mearsheimer

Offensive realism posits that the anarchic nature of the international system is responsible for promoting aggressive state behavior in international politics. States act aggressively due to the absence of a higher authority in the global arena.

"The Tragedy of Great Power Politics" primarily focuses on International Relations Theory, offering insights into realist theory and its key assumptions as explained by John Mearsheimer.

John Mearsheimer advocates the theory of "offensive realism" in the book, challenging the ideas of defensive realism and presenting a structural perspective on international relations.

Offensive realism differs from defensive realism by depicting great powers as power-maximizing revisionists who prioritize buck-passing and self-promotion over balancing strategies in the pursuit of dominance. This challenges traditional notions of state behavior.

The five bed-rock assumptions of Mearsheimer's offensive realism theory are anarchy, offensive military capabilities, uncertainty, survival as the primary goal, and rationality of states as strategic actors. These shape the theory's foundational framework.

Mearsheimer argues that the primary goal of states in international politics is survival, driving their strategic decisions and behaviors in the anarchic international system. Survival is a foundational motive that shapes state behavior and interactions.

Mearsheimer argues that oceans prevent any state from reaching world hegemony by limiting the power projection abilities of militaries and naturally dividing powers across the globe.

The United States aimed to prevent the Soviet Union from dominating Western Europe and the Middle East to maintain the balance of power at the global level, as per Mearsheimer's analysis of great power objectives. Balancing power dynamics was therefore crucial for U.S. strategic interests.

"The Tragedy of Great Power Politics" was published in the year 2001 by W.W. Norton & Company, marking its release in the field of international relations theory.

Mearsheimer asserts that the highest aim of great powers is to achieve regional hegemony, with additional objectives including maximizing wealth and attaining nuclear superiority.