This piece by #Mearsheimer on the war in #Ukraine is poor. Instead of pointing out *where* he is wrong (there is too much), I think it might be more productive to offer a few points about *why* he is wrong:

a) Mearsheimer thinks he can do meaningful analyses of international politics without country specific expertise.

b ) Because of a) he thinks this conflict for #Russia is about national security and not regime security.

1/2

https://open.substack.com/pub/mearsheimer/p/the-darkness-ahead-where-the-ukraine?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Darkness Ahead: Where The Ukraine War Is Headed

This paper examines the likely trajectory of the Ukraine war moving forward. I will address two main questions. First, is a meaningful peace agreement possible? My answer is no. We are now in a war where both sides – Ukraine and the West on one side and Russia on the other – see each other as an existential threat that must be defeated. Given maximalist objectives all around, it is almost impossible to reach a workable peace treaty. Moreover, the two sides have irreconcilable differences regarding territory and Ukraine’s relationship with the West. The best possible outcome is a frozen conflict that could easily turn back into a hot war. The worst possible outcome is a nuclear war, which is unlikely but cannot be ruled out.

John’s Substack

c) He suffers from the subconscious wrong assumption that a Russian victory is inevitable. I described the phenomenon in this video. https://youtu.be/ZXtfQ--SVI8

Overall I think people should stop listening to Mearsheimer.

2/2

Bad assumptions and the belief in Russian victory

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@anderspuck

I just saw your videos of just before the war. Underrated.

https://www.youtube.com/@anderspuck

You said that a big war was inevitable, while most "experts" said it was just posturing

It's amazing how much the so-called "expert" with millions of viewers actually knows nothing: he doesn't use the facts but just his speculations

While your sources: looking at what russia was actually doing and at what #putin was saying to the #russians

#Ukraine #russia #Ukrainerussiawar #Mearsheimer

Anders Puck Nielsen

Military analyst, based in Denmark. I try not to focus too much on the maritime domain, but it is my specialty so it can be hard to avoid.

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