The Great Delusion

Liberal Dreams and International Realities

By: John J. Mearsheimer

Narrated by: 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.

Timely

A very thorough case for the failures of Progressive Liberalism and Liberal Hegemony. Insightful perspective when evaluating the polices of both Republicans and Democrats and wondering “How did we get here?” Especially timely WRT recent events in Ukraine (Feb 2022).

Clear thought process

elementary book for anyone to understand political theories , also gives an honest opinion on why the US goes on war and why its liberalism gets beaten by nationalism of the invading nation

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.