Jeffrey Sachs and John Mearsheimer are both highly respected scholars of international relations. Sachs is an optimist who believes that the world can get along with win-win solutions, while Mearsheimer is a realist who believes that conflicts between powerful countries are inevitable.
Sachs’s optimism is based on the belief that the world is becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent. He argues that cooperation is essential for solving global problems such as climate change and poverty.
Mearsheimer’s realism is based on the belief that states are motivated by only self-interest. He argues that states will always seek to maximize their power and security. He also believes that the world is a zero-sum game, and that one state’s gain is another state’s loss.
On China:
Jeffrey Sachs believes that the two countries can cooperate on a range of issues, such as climate change and global health. He also believes that the US and China have a shared interest in maintaining global peace and stability. He believes that the two countries can benefit from each other’s strengths and work together to solve global problems.
John Mearsheimer believes that the two countries are destined to be rivals due to conflicting self interests. He argues that the US and China will continue to maximize their power and security at the expense of the other.
On Ukraine:
Jeffrey Sachs argues that the US-led NATO expansion eastward has played a significant role in provoking the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Sachs advocates that the Biden administration should be working to resolve the conflict through diplomacy and negotiation, even if that means making painful compromises. A prolonged war in Ukraine could have devastating consequences for the global economy and could even lead to a nuclear war.
John Mearsheimer argues that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a war of necessity. He believes that Russia sees NATO expansion eastward as an existential threat to its security; the invasion of Ukraine was an attempt to prevent it from joining NATO. He has also blamed the United States and the West for the conflict and their support for Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO was a reckless provocation of Russia.
Key difference between Sachs and Mearsheimer:
- Sachs believes that cooperation is essential for solving global problems, while Mearsheimer believes that cooperation is secondary to self-interest.
- Sachs believes that conflict is not inevitable, while Mearsheimer believes that conflict is inevitable due to the nature of the international system.
- Sachs believes that the United States should use its power to promote democracy and human rights around the world. Mearsheimer believes that the United States should focus on maintaining its own security and power.
The idealistic person within me wants to believe in Sachs but the realist part of me has to agree with Mearsheimer!