---
title: "John Mearsheimer: Offensive Realism Explained"
description: "John Mearsheimer is a key political scientist who founded offensive realism, emphasizing that great powers pursue regional hegemony in global politics."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/john-mearsheimer"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- John Mearsheimer is an American political scientist who founded offensive realism, arguing that great powers inevitably seek regional hegemony in an anarchic international system.
- How does Mearsheimer's offensive realism differ from Waltz's defensive realism?
- What are the five assumptions underpinning Mearsheimer's theory?
- Why does Mearsheimer argue China cannot rise peacefully?
- What is the significance of The Israel Lobby and The Great Delusion?

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In a March 2022 lecture circulated widely after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, John Mearsheimer reiterated his 2014 thesis that NATO's eastward expansion bore primary responsibility for provoking Moscow.

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