The Great Delusion

Liberal Dreams and International Realities

De: John J. Mearsheimer

Narrado por: Noah Michael Levine

A major theoretical statement by a distinguished political scholar explains why a policy of liberal hegemony is doomed to fail

In this major statement, the renowned international-relations scholar John Mearsheimer argues that liberal hegemony, the foreign policy pursued by the United States since the Cold War ended, is doomed to fail. It makes far more sense, he maintains, for Washington to adopt a more restrained foreign policy based on a sound understanding of how nationalism and realism constrain great powers abroad.

It is widely believed in the West that the United States should spread liberal democracy across the world, foster an open international economy, and build institutions. This policy of remaking the world in America’s image is supposed to protect human rights, promote peace, and make the world safe for democracy. But this is not what has happened. Instead, the United States has ended up as a highly militarized state fighting wars that undermine peace, harm human rights, and threaten liberal values at home. Mearsheimer tells us why this has happened.

©2018 John J. Mearsheimer (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Dense, fact filled, sober analysis and prescription

Mearsheimer brilliantly probes the subtle and nuanced dimensions of modern foreign policy, at high level commensurate with his decades of scholarship, accessible to any curious reader.

In contrast to the 500 word essays common in typical popular opeds, Mearsheimer does not try paint US foreign policies in pallet consisting of just black and white, or red and blue. His deep analysis, exposes raw the purist ideologies (which I lean towards) of libertarian isolation, neoconservative intervention, or panglossian liberalism as flawed.

Though subtle, his well documented analysis is ultimately optimistic, in that his realist prescriptions based on recognizing the inherent nationalism of all peoples as a force greater than liberal democracy or authoritarian communist philosophies. He argue realism will lead to less foreign intervention, less wars, and less suffering.

Entertaining and Enlightening

This is one of the best books I have recently listened to.

Despite the dry nature of the subject, the author and narrator kept me hooked through. Every chapter was a new connection made on concepts I had not fully fleshed out when thinking about the nature of our current world order and it's reasons for the current direction.

Highly recommend if you are trying to better understand the apparent backwards slide in democratic liberties in the west over the last few decades.

A great book on foreign policy

This book is an eye opening perspective toward foreign policy and argues how a realist policy is superior to the idea of liberal hegemony.

A must read for all Americans

A solid, unpretentious argument for adopting realism in our foreign policy as opposed to liberal hegemony which is actually supported by both political parties. This book will open your eyes to the disastrous results this approach to foreign policy has provided the US and will give you a broader, more reasoned understanding for why Trump was elected in 2016.

Mr. Mearsheimer is simply a phenomenal thinker/historian with regards to Great Power politics.

I encourage anyone who is curious about world affairs to read this book.

Excellent

Very good. Gives a great overriding arch in history. Long but worth it. I can only recommend it.