One and a half decades after the end of the Cold War, policymakers and academics predicted that we would live in a new era of peace and prosperity, an era where democracy, free trade, and mutual trust would herald the 'end of history.'

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 shattered many of these idyllic illusions, and John Mearsheimer's outstanding new book explains why visions of harmony remain utopian.

Mearsheimer outlines a chaotic world where there is no international authority - a system that compels states to seek power and impose their sovereignty at each other's expense. Here lies the tragedy of great power politics - even states that may be content to live peacefully are doomed to engage in a relentless struggle for power if they wish to have any hope of survival.

Mearsheimer's analysis not only highlights the problems of the modern international system but also illuminates the strategies of great powers related to these issues. Within the pages of this book, readers will find more than mere theory and history.

Mearsheimer explains among other things that as international relations evolve after the Cold War in Europe and Northeast Asia, the prospects for peace are bleak. In particular, he argues that the United States is destined to engage in an intense and dangerous security competition with a rising China, and that efforts to prevent conflicts through 'engagement' are doomed to fail.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]