User:Иованъ/John Mearsheimer rewrite

Media appearances
From 2012–2018, Mearsheimer was a regular commentator at PBS NewsHour, commenting on the Iranian nuclear program, the U.S. Intervention in Syria, Operation Timber Sycamore, the legacy of World War I, ISIL, Sanctions against North Korea, Trump–NATO relations and other issues.

Iranian nuclear weapons
In a debate with Dov Zakheim, Mearsheimer argued that "a nuclear-armed Iran would bring stability to the region" because of the deterrent capabilities of nuclear weapons, singling out the United States and Israel as examples of nations they would deter, and using the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2011 military intervention in Libya as examples of a wars that could have been prevented. At the same time, he warned of the possibility of Inadvertent Escalation should Iran acquire nuclear weapons, in the event of a conventional war that inadvertently escalates to a nuclear level. In a debate alongside Stephen Cohen against Derek Chollet, Kori Schake and Reuel Marc Gerecht, he considered the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPoA to be a "fundamental mistake", arguing that the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons would be to "remove the incentive" for their acquisition.

In a 2019 opinion piece for the New York Times, he reiterated his former stances and expressed the view that Iran would "almost certainly" attempt to acquire nuclear wapons. Once acquired, the risk of inadvertent escalation, such as to shut down the flow of oil in the Persian Gulf, would be highst if Iran was in a situation of desperation comparable to that in Japan prior to the Attack on Pearl Harbor or Egypt prior to the Yom Kippur War.

In a 2022 debate hosted by the Center for Russian Studies of Bilkent University and the WWICS, Mearsheimer guessed that Iran would acquire nuclear weapons "within the next ten years", and then cross the threshold to become a nuclear weapon state. Regarding their motivation for acquisition, he used Ukraine as an analogy of a state that could have avoided invasion had they possessed nuclear weapons, alongside previously mentioned examples.

Interview dump
In case anyone wants to improve the article.


 * 58:29.
 * Widely viewed.
 * Part 1. 24:46.
 * 2:54.
 * 29:52.
 * 3:42.
 * 17:40.
 * 29:38.
 * 29:40.
 * 3:54.
 * 29:50.
 * 22:53.
 * 5:12.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 2:22:30.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 47:13.
 * 11:44.
 * 33:05. 37K
 * 1:10:23.
 * 1:00:26.
 * 1:39:13.
 * Over a million views. Not enough to mention view count and on its own that kind of view count is not enough for the interview to merit being mentioned in the article unless in citation.
 * 25:41.
 * 14:41.
 * 28:57.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 1:12:41.
 * Over a million views.
 * 19:31.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 18:47.
 * 1:45:00.
 * Widely viewed.
 * Quote: "Just let's go back to the Cold War. NATO had what I believe was a defensive strategy, but that defensive strategy involved lots of German, and American, and British armored divisions and mechanized infantry divisions; and in a crisis, what we planned to do was take all those NATO mechanized divisions and armored divisions and move them up to the Inter-German Border, close to where the Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces were. Well if you're a Warsaw Pact general or a Soviet general sitting on the other side of the Inter-German Border, and all of a sudden you see German armored divisions and American armored divisions marching towards the border, are you going to say to yourself, 'Those are defensive divisions'? I don't think so! Are you going to be able to distinguish as to whether they're defensive or offensive divisions? I don't think so. The end result is, what we have — with regard to NATO expansion into Ukraine — is a situation where on the western side we think this is a defensive move, whereas on the Russian side they think it is an offensive move. Whereas we think we are containing the Russians, the Russians think we are encircling them. This is the dilemma, and people who make arguments about particular weapons, or particular strategies, or particular alliances being defensive in nature are whistling in the wind. It's a meaningless argument to make, because you can't distinguish between defense and offense."
 * 25:47.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 1:01:55.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 32:57.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 27:03.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 3:26:41.
 * Viewed over 6 million times. Probably merits a mention in the article, alongside his Why is Ukraine the West's Fault? (over 29 million) and Why Leaders Lie (over 6 million) videos.
 * 1:07:02.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 22:39.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 49:24.
 * Over a million views.
 * 48:14.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 30:14.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 1:24:42.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 1:23:51.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 25:52.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 2:39.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 51:36.
 * Over a million views.
 * 36:31.
 * Over a million views.
 * 48:23.
 * Over 3 million views.
 * 38:06.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 47:50.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 37:01.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 35:54.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 1:06:31.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 56:14.
 * Widely viewed.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 35:54.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 1:06:31.
 * Widely viewed.
 * 56:14.
 * Widely viewed.

Newspaper coverage dump
Articles about Mearsheimer or his views, in case anyone wants to improve the article. Most articles on The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy have been excluded from this list.

Mearsheimer has been a Foreign Affairs contributor since 1993.

He is a National Interest contributor.

Mearsheimer was one of 103 foreign policy experts to sign the 2020 open letter It’s Time to Rethink Our Russia Policy.


 * Subject: Nuclear Weapons and Deterrence in Europe.
 * Subject: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.
 * Context: Invasion of Iraq.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Subject: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.
 * Context: Invasion of Iraq.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Subject: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.
 * Context: Invasion of Iraq.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Subject: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.
 * Context: Invasion of Iraq.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Questionnaire including response from Mearsheimer.
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."
 * Source for 2015 I2 debate: "Intelligence Squared Debates: ‘China and the U.S. Are Long-Term Enemies’ (Wednesday) John Donvan, the author and journalist, moderates this debate in which Peter Brookes from the Heritage Foundation and John Mearsheimer, a political-science professor from the University of Chicago, argue that China’s growing economic and military powers are in some ways a threat to the United States. Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister, and Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., provide a counterpoint. At 6:45 p.m. (reception at 5:45 p.m.), Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, Manhattan, 212-303-4322, intelligencesquaredus.org."