Lecture on John Mearsheimer's The Great Delusion

Introduction

• Discussion on Mearsheimer's book "The Great Delusion."
• Emergency protocol to move to National Geographic Museum next door if necessary.
• Participants: John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago), Charlie Glazer (George Washington University).
• Acknowledgment of Mearsheimer's clear writing and dedication to educating students.

Mearsheimer's Educational Philosophy

• Learning is a dialectical process involving debate and discussion.
• Importance of clarity in arguments for understanding and engagement.
• Mearsheimer's approach: not to convert students, but to encourage independent thinking.

Key Definitions and Concepts

Liberalism

• Focuses on the individual and individual rights.
• Universalist ideology due to the belief in inalienable rights.
• Liberal hegemony: policy to promote liberal democracy worldwide.

Nationalism

• Emphasizes social groups or tribes over the individual.
• National identity is paramount (nation-state concept).

Realism

• Focuses on states operating within an anarchic system.
• Importance of the balance of power; domestic structure is less important.
• Subcategories include offensive and defensive realism.

US Foreign Policy Post-Cold War

• Shift from bipolar to unipolar system after the Cold War.
• Adoption of liberal hegemony: spreading democracy, open economic systems, and expanding international institutions.
• Criticism of liberal hegemony: nationalism and realism often overpower liberalism, leading to policy of restraint.

Policy Implications and Historical Context

• US pursued liberal hegemony in post-Cold War era due to its superpower status.
• Examples: NATO expansion, engagement with China, Bush Doctrine in the Middle East.
• Criticism: Liberalism abroad conflicts with nationalism and realism; leads to resistance.

Challenges and Criticisms

• Realist perspective: domestic structures don't change international policies significantly.
• Failures of liberal policies: Iraq War, NATO expansion seen as threats by Russia.
• Debate on realism vs. liberalism in forming US foreign policy.

Current and Future Directions

• Transition to a multipolar world with rising powers like China and Russia.
• US's foreign policy needs to adapt from liberal hegemony to a more realist approach.
• Role of Trump administration in challenging liberal hegemony, though nationalistic.

Q&A Highlights

• Discussion on non-declared wars and implications for civil liberties.
• US-Russia relations: potential shift due to China's rise.
• US's role in promoting feminism and women's rights abroad.
• China's influence in other countries and how the US should respond.
• Historical success of social engineering (e.g., post-WWII Germany and Japan) vs. failures (e.g., Iraq, Afghanistan).

Conclusion

• Importance of understanding different "isms" and their impact on foreign policy.
• Need for clarity in discussing and implementing foreign policy strategies.
• Acknowledgment of ongoing debates and the complexity of international relations.

---

Additional Notes

• Book signing by Mearsheimer after the lecture.
• Encouragement for audience to read "The Great Delusion" for its clear arguments and insights.