The Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD) has published a new Horizons Interviewwith Professor John J. Mearsheimer, one of the most influential political scientists of our time and the leading voice of structural realism in international relations. The interview was moderated by Vuk Jeremić, President of CIRSD and Editor-in-Chief of Horizons.
In the interview, Professor Mearsheimer explains that the international system has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past decade. He argues that the post Cold War period of unchallenged US dominance was historically exceptional and has now definitively come to an end.
“From roughly 1992, shortly after the end of the Cold War, until about 2017, we lived in a unipolar world,” Mearsheimer notes. “By definition, you cannot have security competition in a unipolar system because there is only one great power. But that period was bound to end. Around 2017, China and Russia emerged as great powers, and we moved into a multipolar world, with great-power competition back on the table.”
According to Mearsheimer, this shift marks the return of structural forces that have long defined international politics. The rise of China and the reemergence of Russia as major powers have restored intense strategic rivalry, increasing the risks of conflict and reducing the scope for global cooperation.
The interview explores the implications of this new multipolar reality for US foreign policy, Europe’s security architecture, global institutions, and the behavior of middle powers. Mearsheimer also discusses why assumptions about permanent peace, deep economic interdependence, or automatic political convergence have proven misleading in the face of enduring power competition.
This Horizons Interview offers a clear and rigorous assessment of the changing global order and the challenges posed by the return of great-power politics.
The full interview with Professor John J. Mearsheimer is available on CIRSD’s YouTube channel: The full interview
