John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs | All-In Summit 2024

Sacks intros John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs (0s)

• The upcoming discussion will focus on foreign policy. (44s)
• The discussion will include two imminent thinkers about foreign policy: Professor John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago and Professor Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia. (51s)
• The speaker believes that there are many important events happening in the world. (1m7s)

What is the Deep State Party, and what are their goals? (1m10s)

• There is the perspective that there is only one political party in the United States, referred to as the "deep state," which consists of individuals such as Dick Cheney, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Victoria Nuland, and others. (1m32s)
• The "deep state" is described as having a vested interest in pursuing a specific foreign policy that aligns with the goals of both Democrats and Republicans, which is to maximize power and maintain global hegemony. (4m16s)
• While some argue that the "deep state" is motivated by values such as liberalism and democracy, others believe that their primary objective is to maintain power and control, even if it means undermining democracy in other countries. (9m22s)

Should America leverage its power against dictators? (13m35s)

• The United States should prioritize its own national interests, even if it means aligning with dictatorships in certain situations, such as World War II when allying with the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany was necessary. (14m16s)
• The United States often intervenes in global conflicts under the guise of defending something, but the true motivation is often a perception of US power and interests, aiming to maintain global hegemony. (15m45s)
• The United States should focus on containing China, which is considered a peer competitor and the most serious threat, rather than attempting to change its regime or engage in policies that push Russia, a weaker power, towards an alliance with China. (20m2s)

The China threat: avoiding the escalatory path to nuclear war (21m45s)

• China is not a threat to the United States and the only real threat is nuclear war. (28m13s)
• The United States should not provoke China into a war over Taiwan. (31m22s)
• China is not a regional hegemon yet, but if the United States tries to prevent them from becoming one, it could lead to war. (33m59s)

India's growing role; are China's wounds self-inflicted? (35m47s)

• India is the fastest growing economy in the world and has a pragmatic approach to foreign policy, maintaining good relations with both the United States and Russia. (36m12s)
• China's development of a blue water navy is a response to the United States' policy of containing China's access to the Indian Ocean. (37m58s)
• The United States' policy of containing China is not in the best interests of the American people and has not resulted in the return of manufacturing jobs. (41m43s)
• The current geopolitical climate, characterized by great power competition, makes war a very real possibility, particularly given the existence of nuclear weapons. (45m41s)

Conflict in the Middle East and the path to peace (46m45s)

• There is international agreement that peace in the Middle East would entail a two-state solution with a state of Palestine within the 1967 borders. (48m6s)
• The international community largely views Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal, and the International Court of Justice may find that Israel is in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention. (48m36s)
• There is a low probability of escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to include Jordan, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia because those countries lack the military capacity to engage Israel. (51m21s)