Mearsheimer Profile; Chicago vs. Harvard

ILoveUofC
Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:11:34 +0000

I took more than a few classes with John Mearsheimer and Charles Lipson when I was an undergrad and I found both men to be extremely open and helpful to wide-eyed and bushy tailed college students. I was not a poli-sci/IR concentrate, but I found Mearsheimer’s lectures to be fascinating and his observations serve me well today every time I pick up a newspaper or watch the news.

Re: his latest controversial comments, they strike me as typical Mearsheimer in their non-conformist views and I wouldn’t read too much into them. Like the article above mentions, his role (and UChicago’s) is not to guide or determine policy but to take ideas and push them to the extreme. This may lead to some uncomfortable topics and controversial ideas, but that is what UChicago cultivates.