Thoughts on Mearsheimer's "Offensive Realism"

Abstract

Mearsheimer, a representative of offensive realism, argues that "security competition will re-emerge in post-Cold War Europe and Asia, and that international institutions cannot maintain peace." This is a hypothesis about the relationship between systemic polarity and world peace, which, in contrast to reality, has some problems with the internal logic of the theory. After analysis, Mearsheimer's assumptions about the position of the state, the choice of the state's target behavior, and the prediction of China's rise and behavior are unconvincing, both in terms of inherent problems of theoretical logical conformity and external inconsistencies with the facts; the problems of Mearsheimer's theory can provide us with insights: focus on thinking about theoretical doctrines, and better look at international relations with a critical eye different theoretical schools.