Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast John Mearsheimer: Cold War 2.0 & NATO's Defeat in Ukraine
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Jan 31, 2026 
John J. Mearsheimer, a leading realist scholar at the University of Chicago, offers a hard-nosed take on great power politics. He discusses the rise of a new Cold War and a Russia-China deterrent alignment. He examines NATO expansion, Western misreadings of Russian motives, bleak prospects for negotiations, and the military and escalation risks surrounding Ukraine.
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Transatlantic Divergence Over Russian Threat
- Europeans view Russia as a mortal threat because of geography and proximity, unlike many Americans.
- This divergence fuels transatlantic tensions over burden-sharing in Ukraine.
US Seeks To Shift Ukraine Burden To Europe
- Mearsheimer argues the US is shifting the burden of Ukraine onto Europeans while Europeans want continued US involvement.
- This dynamic deepens the transatlantic dispute, especially under Trump-era unpredictability.
NATO Expansion As Root Cause Of Ukraine War
- Mearsheimer contends NATO expansion into Ukraine was destined to cause trouble and precipitated the 2014 crisis and 2022 war.
- He views the war as having poisoned Europe-Russia relations for the long term.