Mearsheimer and Fear
In Chapter 5, fear is assessed in the publications of Mearsheimer. This inquiry illustrates that his discussions about fear revolves around threat inflations and its endemic character. In Mearsheimer’s offensive realism, fear is primarily considered in re
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Mearsheimer and Fear
INTRODUCTION Mearsheimer’s offensive realism is the last theory to be examined in relation to fear. This analysis spans over seven sections. The Section “Mearsheimer's conception of fear” considers the definition and conception of fear in the works of Mearsheimer. The Section “Mearsheimer’s offensive realism” takes a closer look at Mearsheimer’s framework. The Section “Fear in the core of Mearsheimer’s theory” evaluates whether Mearsheimer incorporates fear in the core of his offensive realism. As this section reveals that fear is indeed central to his theory, the Section “The role of fear in Mearsheimer’s offensive realism” considers the precise role of fear within his framework. The Section “The empirical aspect of fear in Mearsheimer's works” explores Mearsheimer’s empirical use of fear in his analysis of international politics. The Sections “The logical need of fear in Mearsheimer’s offensive realism” and “The logical consistency of fear in Mearsheimer’s offensive realism” examine the logical implications of fear in offensive realism. They do so by evaluating whether this emotion is necessary to bring about security competition, conflict and war in Mearsheimer’s offensive realism and whether fear is logically consistent with the rest of the framework. A brief summary brings this chapter to a closure.
© The Author(s) 2017 A.H. Pashakhanlou, Realism and Fear in International Relations, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-41012-8_5
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REALISM AND FEAR IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
MEARSHEIMER’S CONCEPTION
OF
FEAR
An investigation of Mearsheimer’s body of work reveals that he never defines fear. He does however make some generic statements regarding fear and fearmongering that provide some insights of his understanding of this emotion. In his latest monograph, Why Leaders Lie: The Truth About Lying in International Politics, Mearsheimer develops the concept of fearmongering that is closely related to fear. Here, he repeatedly emphasizes that fearmongering is induced by threat inflations.1 These statements clearly indicate that Mearsheimer considers fear as a response to threat. Mearsheimer also regards fear a dynamic and an inherent factor of international life. Indeed, he confirms that the level of fear varies across time and space but “cannot be reduced to a trivial level.”2 These three statements are the only general insight Mearsheimer offers on this emotion. Two of these points are not developed any further either. Mearsheimer does not explore the relationship between threat and fear or provide any other further elucidation on this topic. That is so despite the fact that the point about threat generating fear is repeated like a mantra throughout Mearsheimer’s book. Mearsheimer’s contention that fear cannot be overcome or reduced to inconsequential levels is not supported by any evidence. In fact, this is merely an assertion that Mearsheimer makes, before moving on to other subjects. In stark contrast, Mearsheimer clarifies which factors that alter the levels of fear at the international level. They
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