The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (Updated Edition)

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W. W. Norton & Company, Jan 17, 2003 - Political Science - 576 pages

"A superb book.…Mearsheimer has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the behavior of great powers."—Barry R. Posen, The National Interest

The updated edition of this classic treatise on the behavior of great powers takes a penetrating look at the question likely to dominate international relations in the twenty-first century: Can China rise peacefully? In clear, eloquent prose, John Mearsheimer explains why the answer is no: a rising China will seek to dominate Asia, while the United States, determined to remain the world's sole regional hegemon, will go to great lengths to prevent that from happening. The tragedy of great power politics is inescapable.
 

Contents

List of Maps
Acknowledgments
ONE Introduction 1
THREE Wealth and Power 55
FOUR The Primacy of Land Power 83
SEVEN The Offshore Balancers 234
EIGHT Balancing versus BuckPassing 267
NINE The Causes of Great Power War 334
Notes 403
Index 535
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About the author (2003)

John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and codirector of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago.

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