[ceceron]

I'm terrified of such simplistic narratives (in any domain, not only politics) and I believe they are very dangerous, especially in the modern societies which are very prone to accept easy explanations... Mearsheimer's narrative is internally consistent and seemingly explains the reality in a simple manner. It will definitely seduce many readers into a false feeling of understanding.

In my humble opinion, his story lacks lots of context, both cultural and historical. Russia has never belonged to the Western culture, not even in the XIX century. Its mindset is radically different and not reducible to analysis based on the assumptions common in the Western societies. Treating it as a "partner one can civilize" has been a mistake made repeatedly in Europe and resulted in many tragedies in the last ages. I hope the current conflict will open eyes of many naive idealists looking for the rational outlook on the modern world.