Session 12- Analyzing Offensive Realism

In his work ‘The Tragedy of Great Power Politics’, Mearsheimer puts forward some basic ideas about the international system on upon which his theory of ‘Offensive Realism’ is based. The fact that he does not use complicated vocabulary or difficult sentences makes his writing more effective and easy to read. He is able to convey his message clearly and effectively without leaving the reader in any doubt

Moreover, Mearsheimer explains explain events in the international system by stressing upon the importance of structural factors such as anarchy and how power is distributed amongst states and political actors. He also acknowledges the fact that states have the ability to engulf other weaker states. This is because of uncertainty in the global environment. Due to this lack of surety states end up adopting hostile policies towards others which then creates international tension. It also leads to states piling up on arms and ammunition which then further threaten other countries around it. Increasing uncertainty can cause states to doubt each others intentions and can lead to preemptive attacks. For example, the 6-Day war in the Middle East was caused because Israel took preemptive action and attacked Egypt. This shows the extent to which uncertainty in the International environment can affect the decisions made by countries.

Furthermore, Offensive Realism recognizes that the reason behind decline in the number of wars over the years is because states have realized the costs of war. Also, states are aware of the concept of ‘balance of power’ and they know they cannot completely emerge as being the solely victorious party in the event of a war.

Lastly, Mearsheimer also questions the Liberal approach that is adopted by many scholars and challenges its authority towards comprehending International Relations. He also differentiates between the different forms of realist approaches that exist which makes it easier to answer the question of why states desire power.