‘The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities’
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By Mark Beeson
July 09, 2019
Policymakers are generally uninterested in, if not actively contemptuous of, the scribblings of academics. There have, of course, been some notable exceptions to this general pattern, and even some individuals who managed to be both. Henry Kissinger and the late Zbigniew Brzezinski spring to mind. The other thing Kissinger and Brzezinski had in common was that they were both ‘realists’, the one conceptual paradigm that has exerted a powerful influence on policymakers—whether they know it or not.
John Mearsheimer is probably the most influential realist in the world today. The great delusion demonstrates why: punchy, clearly written prose and a compelling argument. It’s one of the most important contributions to scholarly international relations literature. It’s also one of the most depressing for someone of my philosophical and psychological disposition, not least because its trenchantly argued central thesis looks all-too-plausible.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/07/09/the_great_delusion_liberal_dreams_and_international_realities_114567.html
