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#401 – John Mearsheimer: Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, China, NATO, and WW3
Lex Fridman Podcast
The Meaning of Anarchy in International Relations
Anarchy in international relations refers to the absence of hierarchy and higher authority among nations. In an anarchic world, states have no higher authority to turn to and must compete with each other for power. This competition arises because in the absence of hierarchy, individuals in the state of nature compete for power. Thomas Hobbes argued that creating a state, or Leviathan, is necessary to escape anarchy and establish hierarchy. However, in international politics, there is no world state, resulting in an anarchic system. In such a system, states must strive to maximize their relative power to ensure survival. Weakness in international politics can lead to exploitation by stronger powers, as evidenced by the Century of National Humiliation in China. Therefore, states are encouraged to be as powerful as possible in the anarchic system of international relations.
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