Thanks for this - sense is Sachs, not so sure about Mearsheimer, believes he is the oracle rather than a professor who need to engage in debate and dialogue.

Perhaps the foundations of Russian desire for expansion go back even further? Origins of Moscow and then the quest for further lands?

Spheres of influence - geography is the master and doubt there can ever be true neutrality when the different centripetal forces are at play.

Let us also consider this is so often about men arguing the toss from comfortable chairs; regularly in positions of power and rarely sponsoring the type of open debate and dialogue you have sought with this piece.

The application of some physics thinking? Only 3 numbers matter - 0, nothing is there. 1 tending to monopoly, the aggregation of power. Then infinity - which may equate to Universal Human Rights when big men can no longer usurp accountability to the rest of us?

Thanks for sponsoring further thinking