The Tragedy of Great Power Politics Quotes

“The sad fact is that international politics has always been a ruthless and dangerous business, and it is likely to remain that way.”
― John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

“In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler believed that his great-power rivals would be easy to exploit and isolate because each had little interest in fighting Germany and instead was determined to get someone else to assume the burden. He guessed right.”
― John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

“This line of reasoning accounts for why collective security schemes, which call for states to put aside narrow concerns about the balance of power and instead act in accordance with the broader interests of the international community, invariably die at birth.52”
― John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

“Italy’s army was wrecked and not likely to recover anytime soon; even when it was intact, it was among the most incompetent fighting forces in modern European history.”
― John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

“When the Soviet Union invaded Finland on November 30, 1939, Soviet leader Josef Stalin launched a modest bombing campaign against Finnish cities, killing roughly 650 civilians.59 By all accounts, the bombing campaign had little to do with Finland’s decision to stop the war in March 1940 before it was defeated and conquered by the Red Army.”
― John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics