Why Leaders Lie: The Truth about Lying in International Politics
Mark Thornton writes about lying habits of political leaders on Mises Wire: Professor John Mearsheimer is perhaps the most well-known political scientist in the world today. This is due in large part to his many appearances on important podcast platforms regarding Israel’s war on Iran. He is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in…
Mark Thorntonwrites about lying habits of political leaders on Mises Wire:Professor John Mearsheimer is perhaps the most well-known political scientist in the world today. This is due in large part to his many appearances on important podcast platforms regarding Israel’s war on Iran. He is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in the University of Chicago’s prestigious department of political science. His teaching and research are in the field of international relations. In addition to this book, I have purchased two of his other books that I look forward to reading:Liddell Hart and the Weight of History(1988) andThe Israel Lobby and U. S. Foreign Policywith Stephen M. Walt (2007). …. . Mearsheimer tries to establish an objective rather than moralistic analysis. Here, some lies are purposeful and in the public good, such as when a small nation interacts (and lies) with a powerful empire. He also acknowledges that lies can backfire and he explores those implications as well. He also acknowledges that, in the Kantian and Augustinian perspectives, lying is always wrong but that with the utilitarian perspective, lying may have a worthy public purpose. He pursues the utilitarian route, without developing the strategy of long-term commitment to telling the truth, or at least no outright lying. Surely there must be some utilitarian benefits from such a policy. He further narrows his analysis to strategic lying and sets aside selfish lies that politicians tell for their personal benefit. Subsequent analysis explores what types of lies are told, the reasons why politicians lie in international relations, the conditions which increase or decrease the likelihood of lying, and the costs and benefits of lying. Even if you disagree with the author’s approach, it is a small book, and you can confront the facts about political lying in international relations on your own terms. If nothing else, a majority of the lies covered involve Israel, the United States, the Middle East, and the Cold War, so that coverage is very relevant and revealing to the events of our day. Politicians lie all the time to keep themselves in power and show how dedicated they are towards serving the nation. They also cook lies to show past/current leaders in bad light. Politics has become a business of lies. The successful politician of today is a pinocchio who does his best to keep the long nose hiddden from people. This entry was posted on July 9, 2026 at 10:56 am and is filed underDiscussion. You can follow any responses to this entry through theRSS 2. 0feed. You canleave a response, ortrackbackfrom your own site.