John Mearsheimer, Glenn Diesen: Cold War 2.0 & NATO’s Defeat in Ukraine; China, Russia, Europe

by Glenn Diesen [1-31-2026].

(RAD: I wasn't going to add any observations, but changed my mind after listening to all of this discussion.

For some reason they didn't point out that Odessa, Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk are already legally part of Russia. In referendums, those people voted overwhelmingly to become part of Russia, the Russian legislature accepted, and Putin signed off on this, all of which is allowed under the UN charter. For some reason, many people don't seem to understand this and they keep thinking that Putin can give some of this territory back to Ukraine, against the will of the people who voted to join Russia.

Mearsheimer keeps talking about the perspective of the Russians and how Europe, NATO, and the US haven't acknowledged that perspective. What is very clear when you go back to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 is that there were high level discussions on both sides and an acknowledgement that NATO would not move 1 inch closer to Russia. Of course we know that the US & NATO quickly ignored this agreement.

Over many years, Putin kept trying to get the West, NATO, and the US to understand that their continual expansion of NATO closer to Russia was considered a serious problem within Russia for many reasons. On 2-10-2007, Putin made his landmark speech at the 43rd Munich Security Conference where he openly criticized the US for striving for a unipolar world controlled by the US, its unrestrained use of force and its disdain for international law. For the first time since the end of the Cold War he made clear that Russia does not intend to fit into that kind of world order. Despite his criticism, Putin didn't seek confrontation but called for a new partnership on a fair basis. The Western media, however, distorted his speech and portrayed it as a malicious attack. — RAD)

John J. Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1982. Prof. Mearsheimer the new Cold War and NATO's defeat in Ukraine.