Why Leaders Lie: The Truth About Lying in International Politics with John Mearsheimer

So can we release Julian Assange from prison and give him a medal for exposing American / NATO and UK war lies and atrocious war crimes.

“Everywhere he talked people were very interested in the subject.” Listening to this man for two minutes I think “every subject you talk about I would be very interested”.

The irony is mind boggling, while Reagan was saying "trust but verify" at the other end of the table Bush was promising Gorbatchev that if he opened his markets to US corporations, NATO would not go one inch further towards the east and Star Wars would be abandoned, making sure none of it had been written down anywhere. Gorbatchev obliged, of course, that's exactly what he had been wishing for. I can imagine his face when he learned that Star Wars had never worked, it was a total failure! As to NATO Bush couldn't find the darn doocuments they had signed that day... pity.

One of the few intellectuals you will hear say "I haven't thought of that before" when someone in the audience asks a question. He doesn't just pretend to know everything, and admits when someone brings up something he hasn't considered before.

I like this guy when he says "I never thought about that". What a true scholar.

We get the leaders we deserve. No political statement is analysed with scepticism by the mass audience. Repetition of the same lie turns it into truth. Humanity is domesticated, controlled, blind. Only an individual has any hope of real perception, never the group.

There is no excuse for lying to the public "for the greater good" or for "national security". If there are legitimate reasons the public will clearly understand and support the policies. Lies are deception, and there is no need for deception when a cause is true.

The Key Premise is that Lying sometimes makes strategic sense. Probably true ... But now every leaders lies all the time ... so that's where that gets us.

I was listening about growing tension between Ukraine and Russia and this lecture was next. I am glad it was. Beautiful lecture.

Germany lying to the USSR before invading it, Italy lying to every country around it at about the same time, lots of other examples in that era. Relatively recently the USA lying to Russia about not expanding NATO eastwards. This can be a long list.

Lecture begins at 3:26

The reason they lie is simple, "The Truth Hurts" R. A.

讲得太好了! When he comes back in 20 years, he's gonna be talking for at least 3 hours listing the things that the recent politicians did.

Excellent! This is for those sheeple who blindly believe in MSM

Hearing truth is music to the ears and the soul. Excellent.

There is one very important aspect of lying which the adepts of "noble" or "strategic" lying prefer not to mention. There are always "third parties". And when they see you reaching your goals through lies and deception they sooner or later understand that they simply can't trust even a single word from you. And that undermines totally the basis of peaceful relations and inexorably leads to war.

When you really boil it down there is only one reason to lie and that is to get away with doing something that you shouldnt be doing

Differences between selfish lies and strategic lies in his argument, as I see it, is impressive explanation on the dynamics of statecraft.

Justine trudeau has taken lying to whole new level 🤥

How do these circumstances being described relate to the mental illness, sociopathy and or narcissistic tendencies or psychopathy in our leaders? and as a follow on question, isn't it time to stop these people having power over us?