Includes bibliographical references and index.

A decade after the cold war ended policy makers and academics foresaw a new era of peace and prosperity an era in which democracy and open trade would herald the end of history The terrorist attacks of September 11 2001 sadly shattered these idyllic illusions and John Mearsheimer s masterful new book explains why these harmonious visions remain utopian To Mearsheimer great power politics are tragic because the anarchy of the international system requires states to seek dominance at one another s expense dooming even peaceful nations to a relentless power struggle Mearsheimer illuminates his theory of offensive realism through a sweeping survey of modern great power struggles and reflects on the bleak prospects for peace in Europe and northeast Asia arguing that the United States s security competition with a rising China will intensify regardless of engagement policies This is the definitive work on offensive realism Choice Surveying great power struggles and reflecting on the bleak prospects for peace in the modern world a University of Chicago professor of political science warns against putting too much faith in the goodwill of other countries and explains why harmonious visions of the future remain utopian The update of this classic treatise on the behavior of great powers takes a penetrating look at the question likely to dominate international relations in the twenty first century Can China rise peacefully To John J Mearsheimer great power politics are tragic because the anarchy of the international system requires states to seek dominance at one another s expense dooming even peaceful nations to a relentless power struggle The best survival strategy in this dangerous world is to become a regional hegemon like the United States in the Western Hemisphere and to make sure that no other hegemon emerges elsewhere In a new concluding chapter Mearsheimer examines the course of Sino American relations should China continue its ascent