The Battle Between Liberalism vs Nationalism | John Mearsheimer | Liberalism in Question

·33 min·3 clips

John Mearsheimer argues that liberalism as a foreign policy is a prescription for big trouble, not just a domestic ideal.

The episode features an interview with John Mearsheimer, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, hosted by Rob Forsyth. Mearsheimer defines liberalism as based on individualism and the assumption that people cannot agree on first principles. He distinguishes between modus vivendi liberalism, with a limited state, and progressive liberalism, with a more interventionist state. Mearsheimer argues that liberalism underestimates human social nature, and nationalism is crucial for holding liberal societies together. He discusses examples like the United States, where multiculturalism coexists with nationalism, and cases where nationalism trumps liberalism, such as ethnic conflicts. The conversation shifts to foreign policy, where Mearsheimer critiques U.S. interventions in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, attributing failures to nationalist resistance. He references Francis Fukuyama's 'end of history' thesis and the Bush Doctrine as drivers of these policies. Mearsheimer advocates for realism in foreign policy, emphasizing national survival over social engineering. The episode also touches on topics like genocide, the Holocaust, and the role of nation-states for groups like Jews and Palestinians. Mearsheimer concludes that liberalism and nationalism can coexist domestically but clash internationally.

As heard by us

A clear, measured look at why liberalism abroad can run hard into nationalism.

John Miesheimer makes liberalism feel less settled once nationalism enters the frame. He separates liberalism as a domestic political ideology from liberalism as a foreign-policy program, then follows the argument into the friction created when one state tries to reshape…

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Why you'd press play

You want to hear why liberalism, which Mearsheimer says he values inside a state, runs into trouble when it meets nationalism abroad.

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