John Mearsheimer is the Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and one of the leading foreign policy scholars in America. Here’s what he has to say to you.
Dear Antiwar.com Reader,
This is the fourth time I have asked you to donate to Antiwar.com and there is no question that this request is more important than the previous ones.
I had hoped that President Trump moving back into the White House would facilitate more of an open and free-wheeling debate about U.S. foreign policy. After all, this is what he promised on the campaign trail. That would make it easier for dissenters to challenge the dominant narratives about foreign policy that prevail in the mainstream media.
That happened to some extent regarding the Ukraine war and U.S. relations with Russia, mainly because Trump has directly challenged the reigning narrative about those issues. The president’s actions as well as his rhetoric have opened space for other critics of Western policy on Ukraine and Russia. Unfortunately, the mainstream media are effectively at war with Trump on these matters and remain firmly wedded to purveying the same arguments that they have been peddling since the war started in February 2022. All of this is to say that there is still a huge need for platforms like Antiwar.com to challenge the mainstream media on Ukraine and Russia.
The situation is much worse regarding Israel and the Middle East, not to mention campus protests aimed at stopping the genocide in Gaza. It is bad enough that the mainstream media are firmly committed to the same misguided narratives about Israel, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and college protestors. But now, to make matters even worse, the Trump administration is moving rapidly and forcefully to shut down anyone who challenges those narratives. In essence, Trump is committed to doing his utmost to make sure that the master narrative about events related to Israel – which bears little resemblance to the truth – goes unchallenged not just in the mainstream media, but everywhere else as well.
It is no exaggeration to say that our freedom of speech is under siege when it comes to talking about Israel and the Middle East. Indeed, this behavior by Trump and his lieutenants represents an assault on core American values. Of course, we cannot expect the mainstream media to rise to the occasion and challenge Trump, as they too are deeply committed to supporting Israel at every turn. What this tells us is that in these deeply troubled times we need alternative media more than ever. So, please give generously to Antiwar.com.
Sincerely,
John Mearsheimer
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