Mearsheimer must be understood as an International Relations theorist who seeks in all world events confirmation of the theory that has garnered him academic success and influence, i.e. Offensive Realism. He takes something of an economist's view of the international system, in which the ordering principle is the relative military capability of the component states, which many international relations scholars regard as very reductive. In Mearsheimer's view, only a small number of states actually exercise any degree of agency. He essentially denies the agency of most European states, including Ukraine, the Baltics etc. His system of thought is not concerned with the messy details of history; values and human motivation do not count. He should not be considered an expert on Russia or Ukraine, because the internal working of these states, the motivations of these peoples, or the cultural identities at issue are not relevant to his view of international relations. What Mearsheimer said to you needs to be properly contextualized, in other words.
Mearsheimer must be understood as an International Relations theorist who seeks in all world events confirmation of the theory that has garnered him academic success and influence, i.e. Offensive Realism. He takes something of an economist's view of the international system, in which the ordering principle is the relative military capability of the component states, which many international relations scholars regard as very reductive. In Mearsheimer's view, only a small number of states actually exercise any degree of agency. He essentially denies the agency of most European states, including Ukraine, the Baltics etc. His system of thought is not concerned with the messy details of history; values and human motivation do not count. He should not be considered an expert on Russia or Ukraine, because the internal working of these states, the motivations of these peoples, or the cultural identities at issue are not relevant to his view of international relations. What Mearsheimer said to you needs to be properly contextualized, in other words.