The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities (Henry L. Stimson Letures)

The Great Delusion by John Mearsheimer is a groundbreaking book that challenges the conventional wisdom of American foreign policy since the Cold War.

Mearsheimer, a renowned international-relations scholar, argues that the policy of spreading liberal democracy and building international institutions has failed to achieve its goals and instead has led to a highly militarized state fighting wars that undermine peace, harm human rights, and threaten liberal values at home.

He contends that a more restrained foreign policy based on a sound understanding of how nationalism and realism constrain great powers abroad would be more effective in achieving American interests.

This thought-provoking and bleak worldview is a must-read for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of American foreign policy.