1. Prof. John J. Mearsheimer²
On 22 January 2026, I was on “Judging Freedom” talking to the Judge about events involving Davos and Greenland. In the process, I laid out some of the key elements of my template for understanding Trump’s foreign policy.
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2. John J. Mearsheimer
I am the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago, where I have taught since 1982.
Above all else, I am an international relations theorist. More specifically, I am a realist, which means that I believe that the great powers dominate the international system, and they constantly engage in security competition with each other, which sometimes leads to war.
Although I have dedicated my life to scholarship, I have also engaged in the policy debates of the day. For example, I was one of the most outspoken opponents of the 2003 Iraq War before it happened, and I have been deeply involved in the public discourse about the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. I firmly believe that social science theories are invaluable for making and analyzing foreign policy.
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3. What do Al Capone, Michael Jordan, Milton Friedman, and John Mearsheimer all have in common?
Answer
They were all born in Brooklyn and made their reputation in Chicago.
