Skip to content

If Ukraine becomes a pro-American liberal democracy, and a member of NATO, and a member of the E.U., the Russians will consider that categorically unacceptable.

— John Mearsheimer

Another quote →

Topics

Democracy

More quotes by John Mearsheimer

The most dangerous states in the international system are continental powers with large armies.

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001)

In the anarchic world of international politics, it is better to be Godzilla than Bambi.

In an ideal world, where there are only good states, power would be largely irrelevant.

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001)

Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute.

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001)

The ideal situation for any state is to experience sharp economic growth while its rivals' economies grow slowly or hardly at all.

The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (2001)

All John Mearsheimer quotes →

You may also like

Democracy is the wholesome and pure air without which a socialist public organization cannot live a full-blooded life.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class shall represent and repress them in parliament!

Vladimir Lenin The State and Revolution (1917)

The law itself is the instrument of the ruling class; hence it is a logical impossibility for another class to assume power legally.

Oliver Cox Caste, Class, and Race: A Study in Social Dynamics (1948)

The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of bourgeois stupidity.

Gustave Flaubert

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: John Mearsheimer (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.