Tom G. Palmer about how John #Mearsheimer could “get so wrong” as it comes to #Russia #NATO and #Ukraine? A fine analysis and recommended reading, I can only add that Palmer missed one important factor in the following paragraph:

How did an intelligent man get this so wrong? The answer involves two distinct analytical failures. The first is methodological. Mearsheimer’s “realist” theory describes international relations as “a state of relentless security competition, with the possibility of war always in the background.” He insists that states do act in what they perceive to be their interests, but also that they “should always act according to their own self-interest.” The attractiveness of the theory lies in the robust claim that states always act in certain ways. But introducing the normative claim about what they “should” do is a telling sleight of hand. Moreover, the theory leaves little to no space for ideas or values—except as factors to be tossed aside when liberal democracies are involved.

The missing factor is Hanlon’s razor, and you can watch it at work each time Trump opens his mouth in public.

https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-leading-realist-theorist-ignores