In Mearsheimer view, regional powers pose a significant threat to the US because they would do exactly what Washington does.
"Regional hegemons are dangerous … because dominating their own neighborhood would give them freedom to intervene elsewhere, just as the American military is free to roam the planet today. The great danger is that a distant hegemon would eventually start to meddle in the Western Hemisphere, which could present a serious threat to the United States," the international relations theorist explained.
Mearsheimer offers a possible solution to prevent this from happening. In his opinion, the US should focus its efforts on retaining its power over the Western Hemisphere and countering any country that dominates or aspires to lead Europe or Asia.
Not a single nation appears to be capable of becoming a European hegemon. Hence, China remains the only real concern for the US.
Mearsheimer also warned the US leadership against sticking to its current policies. Since the end of the Cold War Washington has sought to protect itself by "[dominating] the world and [remaking] it in America's image. [It has] relied upon military power and other forms of big-stick diplomacy to topple unfriendly governments and promote democracy."
The political analyst referred to this strategy as "the main cause of the growing instability around the globe," citing the war-torn Middle East and the civil war in Ukraine as cases in point.
"Washington and its European allies precipitated a major crisis with Russia by trying to peel Ukraine away from Moscow's orbit and make it a Western bulwark on Russia's doorstep. The key ingredients of this boneheaded policy were NATO and EU expansion, coupled with democracy promotion, which effectively means installing pro-Western leaders in countries like Ukraine — and maybe even Russia itself. Not surprisingly, Russia has fiercely resisted the West's efforts to win over Ukraine, which is now engulfed in a civil war," Mearsheimer wrote in an opinion piece for the National Interest.
