I don't believe that the USA has a crusader mentality, in the sense that it wants to bring a holy spirit to the entire world. I believe the USA is guided by a small, greedy collection of scoundrels seeking to control all the world's power and wealth. Their propaganda machine uses appealing words such as "liberal" and "democracy", but they have goals that are totally ignoble and are entirely unscrupulous in what they are willing to do to make their control global.
I notice that usually Prof Mearsheimer is careful to define the terms he uses in presenting his argument. One term he uses very frequently but seldom defines is "liberal democracy". It is a potent term because it is composed of two words, each with very positive connotations for US (and other Western) audiences. They are potent in propaganda, as in: The West is composed of many "liberal democracies", whereas Russia and China are authoritarian states. It is highly potent because, in the case of my country, the USA, it is called a "liberal democracy" when, in truth, it is an authoritarian state. It has the trappings of democracy, an 18th century constiution, with a separation of powers, and a Bill of Rights that includes freedom of speech and a system of elected officers of government. In practice, it is still authoritarian, because its elections are a sham - offering no choice on the principal affairs of government, such as war and peace and control of the budget. Choice is denied by control of the information media and control of institutions such as the public schools. It is authoritarian with a soft glove - most of the time!
So I find that key countries that are called authoritarian in the West, Russia and China, paradoxically, have governments that are more mindful of their peoples' needs and concerns than does our American "liberal democracy", or those of the UK, the German Federal Republis, France, and other countries of NATO. The latter pursue policies that assist the USA's foreign policy and bring great harm to their own people and economies.
For this reason, I want to know what Prof Mearsheimer means by "liberal democracy".
I don't believe that the USA has a crusader mentality, in the sense that it wants to bring a holy spirit to the entire world. I believe the USA is guided by a small, greedy collection of scoundrels seeking to control all the world's power and wealth. Their propaganda machine uses appealing words such as "liberal" and "democracy", but they have goals that are totally ignoble and are entirely unscrupulous in what they are willing to do to make their control global.
I notice that usually Prof Mearsheimer is careful to define the terms he uses in presenting his argument. One term he uses very frequently but seldom defines is "liberal democracy". It is a potent term because it is composed of two words, each with very positive connotations for US (and other Western) audiences. They are potent in propaganda, as in: The West is composed of many "liberal democracies", whereas Russia and China are authoritarian states. It is highly potent because, in the case of my country, the USA, it is called a "liberal democracy" when, in truth, it is an authoritarian state. It has the trappings of democracy, an 18th century constiution, with a separation of powers, and a Bill of Rights that includes freedom of speech and a system of elected officers of government. In practice, it is still authoritarian, because its elections are a sham - offering no choice on the principal affairs of government, such as war and peace and control of the budget. Choice is denied by control of the information media and control of institutions such as the public schools. It is authoritarian with a soft glove - most of the time!
So I find that key countries that are called authoritarian in the West, Russia and China, paradoxically, have governments that are more mindful of their peoples' needs and concerns than does our American "liberal democracy", or those of the UK, the German Federal Republis, France, and other countries of NATO. The latter pursue policies that assist the USA's foreign policy and bring great harm to their own people and economies.
For this reason, I want to know what Prof Mearsheimer means by "liberal democracy".