“Preserving power, rather than increasing it, is the main goal of states.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 1, Introduction, p. 20
Works
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
John Mearsheimer
John Mearsheimer:
32
quotes
8
likes
Famous John Mearsheimer Quotes
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 1, Introduction, p. 2
Preface, p. xi
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001)
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 6, Great Powers in Action, p. 211
“Decapitation is a fanciful strategy.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 4, The Primacy of Land Power, p. 109
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 8, Balancing versus Buck-Passing, p. 293
John Mearsheimer Quotes about the world
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 1, Introduction, p. 15
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 6, Great Powers in Action, p. 202
“In an ideal world, where there are only good states, power would be largely irrelevant.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 1, Introduction, p. 16
“In the anarchic world of international politics, it is better to be Godzilla than Bambi.”
"China's Unpeaceful Rise", Current History (2006) vol. 105 (690) p. 162
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 8, Balancing versus Buck-Passing, p. 307
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 4, The Primacy of Land Power, p. 99
John Mearsheimer Quotes
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 10, Great Power Politics in the Twenty First Century, p. 361
Why China Cannot Rise Peacefully, http://cips.uottawa.ca/event/why-china-cannot-rise-peacefully/
“Bandwagoning is a strategy for the weak.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 5, Strategies for Survival, p. 163
“A state's potential power is based on the size of its population and the level of its wealth.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 2, Anarchy and the Struggle for Power, p. 43
“States have two kinds of power: latent power and military power.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 3, Wealth and Power, p. 55
“China, in short has the potential to be considerably more powerful than even the United States.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 10, Great Power Politics in the Twenty First Century, p. 398
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 8, Balancing versus Buck-Passing, p. 269
John Mearsheimer on America Unhinged https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwqqzh59sVo provided by the Center for the National Interest. Here Mearsheimer is speaking about the Syrian conflict and potential United States intervention due to the Assad's regime alleged usage of chemical devices.
“The most dangerous states in the international system are continental powers with large armies.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 4, The Primacy of Land Power, p. 135
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 10, Great Power Politics in the Twenty First Century, p. 385
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 7, The Offshore Balancers, p. 252
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 9, The Causes of Great Power War, p. 337
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 4, The Primacy of Land Power, p. 84
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 5, Strategies for Survival, p. 144
“Important benefits often accrue to states that behave in an unexpected way.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 5, Strategies for Survival, p. 166
“Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 3, Wealth and Power, p. 57
“States care about relative wealth, because economic might is the foundation of military might.”
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 5, Strategies for Survival, p. 143
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 10, Great Power Politics in the Twenty First Century, p. 371
It won't even be an interesting debate, getting killed by shrapnel, in my opinion is a lot more gruesome and a lot worse.
John Mearsheimer on America Unhinged https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwqqzh59sVo provided by the Center for the National Interest. The bold text is Mearsheimer speaking about B. H. Liddell Hart's experience with chemical warfare, and the rest is of his opinion of it.
Source: The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001), Chapter 2, Anarchy and the Struggle for Power, p. 38
