Foreign thinker
John Mearsheimer
John MearsheimerInternational Relations and Realist TheoryAmericanb. 1947
"Great powers are always seeking opportunities to acquire more power, because the intentions of states cannot be known with certainty."
Life and Thought
John Mearsheimer is a prominent American scholar and theorist of international relations and a professor at the University of Chicago. He is especially known for developing the theory of offensive realism and for analyzing the role of power, national interests, and competition among states in world politics.
John Joseph Mearsheimer was born on December 14, 1947, in the United States. After serving in the U.S. military, he pursued academic studies in international relations and received his PhD from Cornell University. He joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1982 and became one of the influential figures in the study of international politics.
Mearsheimer’s major theoretical contribution is the development of offensive realism. In his book The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, he argues that the structure of the international system, especially the absence of a central global authority, encourages great powers to seek greater power and increase their relative capabilities.
He also co-authored The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy with Stephen Walt, examining the influence of interest groups on American foreign policy. His research covers international relations theory, nuclear deterrence, international security, great-power politics, and U.S. foreign policy.