Is China's rise a threat? | Robert Wright & John Mearsheimer | Nonzero Clips

Robert Wright and international relations scholar John Mearsheimer debate whether containing Beijing should be a priority of US grand strategy.

Public conversation:

[larrysherk]

We Americans look at everything as a threat, while the rest of the world sees opportunities.

[toldyouso]

How many wars has China had?
How many wars have America had?

[joylove]

I Agree with Robert that the USA doesn't need to contain any country.

[zhanjas]

"If we don't contain China, then what country we should contain?" Is this how the US policy makers thinking?

[alexlau]

The rest of the world would love to contain USA and the G7.

[knightyme]

It's a hard reality to accept that another people could do what they do independent of the only way you thought it could be done. This desire to control all instead of let live in peace shows you how slavery redefined itself.

[siewkonsum]

Currently the *US Regime* is the most hated nation on Earth, 2nd is the *UK Regime*, next is the *Australia Regime*, followed next is the *Canada Regime* from an online global survey done recently! 😂

[samliew]

All should try to coexist and live in prosperity and peacefully. Why isolate and contain others? Only those with fanatical evil-minder people will do so. LIVE & LET LIVE!!!

[姜磊-nh]

Core of Mearsheimer's theory is very simple. He who is strong should and will bully others. It's the theory of monkey society. But humans aren't monkeies. He will see quite soon how wrong he is.

[billlieu]

Mearsheimer needs to come up with a better answer on why the US needs to contain China.

[cosmicdancer]

The wish to contain China and the ability to contain China are two different things. Look how well you are in containing Russia. Are we going to end up as wishful thinkers with a long list of foreign intervention failures? Why can't you respect the sovereignty of other countries? Why are you so proud of not being an "isolationist?" Should a "realist" engage in these lose-lose strategies?

[jsan]

I watched the entire interview a few days ago, Robert is a great interviewer, and he challenged Mearsheimer on points that the latter was contradicting himself. Bravo.

[truthaboveall]

It’s bizarre how pragmatic he is about war w Russia but then w China he approves “containment” to protect US hegemony which is only serving 10% of the global population who now own 85% of the total wealth

I’d prefer a world where a model like China’s was dominant since they don’t rely on bombing or forcing other countries into implementing their highly effective & successful mixed economic model which I might add has birthed the greatest growth story in history of mankind

The idea that we protect Japan & South Korea is absurd they have No sovereignty to speak of nor does Australia

We ensured the destabilisation of the world would reach every shore

How about a world where the US & China r both very powerful & worked together

We could create any future we want

Instead America has us in yet another Cold War an arms race wasting 100’s of billions on weapons rather than on solving climate change or AI Revolution

[yangjirui]

Us will not be hegemonic monopoly anylonger. The world has suffered enough. Period.

[py]

Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson is talking about how China is encroaching on “our hemisphere” by increasing trade in the Caribbean. The level of hubris and hypocrisy is staggering.

[inuwooddog]

1) I think it is logical for the US to maintain American hegemony.
2) The real question is whether it is the best course of action to contain China.

Morally, I would say we shouldn't contain China, but this is not a moral question. It is a selfish question. It is not actually about China per se, it is about US hegemony.

[JianYZhong]

China doesn’t want to contain the US, does that mean China is isolationist? No. EU doesn’t want to contain the US, does that mean EU is isolationist? No. Russia doesn’t want to contain the US, does that mean Russia is isolationist? No. No country wants to establish military bases that surround the US! Not doing so does not mean China, EU and Russia are isolationist!

In fact, I would go further and claim that China welcomes a prosperous US economy as it is a market for goods and services from China, and the US should welcome a prosperous Chinese economy as it is a market for US goods and services.

John Mearsheimer needs to rethink his prior beliefs and position more deeply!

[longjiangzhao]

I do not agree Mr. Mearsheimer's view. But he is very direct and honest. He does not talk about the Democracy autocracy bullshit to you, pure strength. US is the strongest, China is getting stronger. US should beat China us and weaken him. very simple and strait.

[haramball]

Americans became super power
Destroyed most parts of world

Now when someone else is rising

They call it a threat😂

[newworldorder]

Wht gives the right for the West to progress, high living, etc, while other countries remain poor, disorganized etc.When any country wants to improve, you say it is a threat, break the rule base order etc. Isn’t this is bullshit and shows tht colonialism mentality never stop .