Review of International Studies
- Review of International Studies / Volume 32 / Issue 03 / July 2006, pp 523-540
- Copyright © 2006 British International Studies Association
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0260210506007145 (About DOI), Published online: 07 August 2006
Defensive realism and the Concert of Europe
AbstractWhy do great powers expand? Offensive realist John Mearsheimer claims that states wage an eternal struggle for power, and that those strong enough to seek regional hegemony nearly always do. Mearsheimer’s evidence, however, displays a selection bias. Examining four crises between 1814 and 1840, I show that the balance of power restrained Russia, Prussia and France. Yet all three also exercised self-restraint; Russia, in particular, passed up chances to bid for hegemony in 1815 and to topple Ottoman Turkey in 1829. Defensive realism gives a better account of the Concert of Europe, because it combines structural realism with non-realist theories of state preferences. (Published Online August 7 2006)Footnotes1 The author thanks Deborah Boucoyannis, Keir Lieber and anonymous referees for comments on earlier drafts, and the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) and the Quick Response Fund of the University of Nottingham for financial support. |
