Mearsheimer: US Created a Powerful China While NATO Provoked Moscow | APT
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Mearsheimer argues the US spent decades building China into a rival superpower while simultaneously pushing NATO east — two self-inflicted threats by one miscalculating hegemon.
Offensive RealismBalance of Power TheorySecurity DilemmaHegemonic Stability Theory
Theory Briefing
- Mearsheimer claims US economic engagement deliberately or naively turned China into the most formidable rival America has ever faced.
- NATO's eastward expansion, in his view, was the direct provocation that pushed Russia toward confrontation rather than cooperation.
- His offensive realism framework predicts great powers always maximise security — making both outcomes predictable, not accidental.
- The argument puts blame squarely on Washington's liberal internationalism rather than on Beijing or Moscow's own ambitions.