-ORSON SCOTT CARD.
John J. Mearsheimer is an American professor of political science at the University of Chicago. He is an international relations theorist and famous for his book on offensive realism " The Tragedy of Great Power Politics ".
In this article the writer talk about the structure of international system. According to him, States look for opportunities to gain power at each other expense and international politics effects regional politics.
In this article the writer talk about the structure of international system. According to him, States look for opportunities to gain power at each other expense and international politics effects regional politics.
Mearsheimer critically analyzed his own theory and try to minimize the weak points of the theory. He clearly mentioned in his essay that offensive realism doesn't answer every question that arises in the world politics because there is a price to pay for simplifying reality. Writer tried to simplify reality by emphasizing certain factors while ignoring others. That's why theory pays little attention to individuals and domestics politics considerations. Maybe, that's the reason he didn't mention anything about terrorist attack of 9/11.(actually this essay was written in 2001)
Furthermore, the writer , in a very impressive manner, challenges the claim that United States practices what it preaches, in other words, the writer challenged the statement that "there is no gap between America Liberal rhetoric and its foreign policy". According to the Mearsheimer, American foreign policy has usually been guided by realistic logic, although the public pronouncements of its leaders might lead one to think otherwise.I totally agree with his point of view, apparently USAID helping Pakistanis to improve their standard of living, but Saeed Shah, a Pakistani journalist reporting for the McClatchy newspaper chain, broke the story of the CIA's use of the vaccination program (through USAID) as a non-medical or no humanitarian purposes and this program led CIA to Osama bin Ladin. Hence it second the Mearsheimer's claim about gap between America's foreign policy and its liberal rhetoric.
I agree Ammad that there is a gap between the rhetoric and reality of U.S. foreign policy. Just as Morgenthau pointed out earlier, while the U.S. couches its FP in humanitarian, liberal terms, it actually practices realism as Mearsheimer also notes. Good job in highlighting this point!
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