Description
As a theorist, Mearsheimer holds a survivalist ethical worldview. As an American, Mearsheimer’s priority is America’s survival. America’s survival can be attained, according to Mearsheimer’s neo-realist theory, through its hegemony in the Western Hemisphere and containment of rising competitors in other regions. The theory says little about states that pose no threat to their regional balance of power or America’s global power position. Despite this, in a number of media appearances Mearsheimer condemned Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestinians since 7 October 2023. Where does this condemnation fit into the theory’s ethical worldview? Are Mearsheimer’s personal ethics in Gaza compatible with his theory? In answering these questions, the paper firstly shows an ethical limitation in Mearsheimer’s theory. Mearsheimer presents a personal ethical viewpoint in Gaza because his theory’s ethics of survival has little to say about Israel’s actions. He is, thus, a public intellectual without a theory. The ethical limitation, secondly, reveals that Mearsheimer’s theory misrepresents states’ foreign policy priorities. As Mearsheimer agrees, Israel’s actions impact America’s position globally and domestically. His theory’s ethics of survival however focuses on material power and states’ potential for hegemony. It thus fails to present this case as a foreign policy priority for America.
