Session 12 - "Survival Mandates Aggressive Behaviour"

With the end of the Cold-War, the notion that global peace and prosperity could be achieved through economic and political engagement gained popularity. Despite the overwhelming prospects of cooperation in the newly established world order, Mearsheimer presents his theory of “Offensive Realism” which presents a rather bleak picture of international politics. In his book, “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics” Mearsheimer challenges the Liberal approach towards theorizing and understanding International Relations and distinguishes between the types of Realist approaches in order to address the age-old question of “Why States Pursue Power”. 

Like the all other theories pertaining to International Relations, Mearsheimer’s theory rests on some basic assumptions about the international system. He recognizes that individually, these assumptions do not fully address why states compete with one another, however, taken collectively, they create a structure in which states are likely to pursue aggressive, hegemonistic policies. 

Mearsheimer places great emphasis on structural factors such as the distribution of power and anarchy in order to explain events in the international system. The lack of a “government over governments” is characterized as a basic feature of international politics. Anarchy on its own in an “ordering principle”, presence of which may result in states vying for greater power. In addition, central to the theory is the recognition of the military capabilities of every “great nation”. Mearsheimer acknowledges that states possess the ability to threaten, hurt and potentially destroy other states. This assumption ties in with the presence of uncertainty in the international environment. As the intentions of other nations, which possess some form of military capabilities, are unknown, states may be tempted to adopt hostile measures, preempting attacks from other states. Furthermore, states are assumed to be rational actors pursuing survival as their major objective. Although states take into account the actions of other states with respect to their own, as the intentions of other nations can never be ascertained, powerful states are often motivated to pursue power at the expense of other nations, in order to ensure their survival.

Liberal theorists believe that peace in the international world order may be facilitated by economic interdependence which will ultimately lead to an increase in global prosperity.  Crucial to this theory is the idea that “once states establish economic ties… they avoid war and can concentrate on accumulating wealth”. Mearsheimer challenges these optimistic ideas, claiming that although a peaceful world is desirable, it is impossible to “escape the harsh world of security competition and war”. Driven by aspirations of maximizing their share of world power and their revisionist intentions, states will resort to the use of force against other states. 

Within the Realist tradition, Mearsheimer draws attention to what he terms as “Human Nature Realism” and “Defensive Realism” in order to lay the basis for his contribution to the social science. The classical realist approach places emphasis on states’ “insatiable appetite” for power. Led by human beings, who according to Mearsheimer have a “’will to power’ hardwired at birth, states will continuously look for opportunities to expand their locus of control. While classical realists attribute the quest for supremacy on human nature, defensive realists propose that the structure of the international system creates a situation of fear and insecurity, prompting states to either maintain the balance of power or increase their absolute power to ensure their survival. Mearsheimer’s theory of Offensive Realism offers a differing perspective from the claims of Defensive Realists. Taking on a similar, structural approach, Mearsheimer asserts that the structure of the international system forces states to take aggressive action against other states in order to ensure their survival. Therefore, the relative power of great nations is increased in an attempt to maximize their security. “In other words, survival mandates aggressive behavior”. 

Although his theory presents a satisfactory description of the international world order, the strength of Mearsheimers arguments lies in his recognition of the drawbacks and limitations of his theory. His acceptance of Offensive Realism’s “indeterminacy” in uncovering the reasons behind the security competition between states, further adds to the credibility of his work. Furthermore, Mearsheimer also realizes the necessity of using more refined theories such as the “deterrence theory” in order to paint a clearer picture of international politics and state behavior, thus making his contribution crucial to the development of the social science.