Mearsheimer Essay on Antiwar.com Criticizes U.S. Iran Policy
John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, published an essay Aug. 5, 2026, on Antiwar.com criticizing U.S. foreign policy. “The U.S. government continues to demonstrate its knack for pursuing remarkably foolish foreign policies that have terrible consequences,” Mearsheimer wrote, according to the essay. The essay contends that President Donald Trump promised to shut down the Ukraine War and said there would be no more forever wars, but that he failed to follow through.
The essay states that Trump went to war against Iran twice: the 12-Day War in June 2025 and a war that began Feb. 28, 2026, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mearsheimer described the later conflict as “potentially the greatest strategic blunder in U.S. history,” according to the essay. All assertions in the piece are attributed to Mearsheimer; the essay cites no external sources or evidence beyond his statements.
Essay Details Two Wars With Iran
According to the essay, Trump did not end the fighting in Ukraine and instead twice went to war against Iran. The conflict that began Feb. 28, 2026, opened with “massive U.S.-Israeli strikes,” according to NaturalNews.com. [1] Mearsheimer described the 2026 war as potentially “the greatest strategic blunder in U.S. history,” according to the essay. Middle East Eye separately described the war as “a strategic disaster for America and Israel.” [2]
Earlier diplomatic moves remained unresolved. Al Arabiya issued retractions after earlier reports of a draft deal, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran “will not bow down,” according to NaturalNews.com. [3] The essay states these actions demonstrate a continued pattern of U.S. military intervention without offering documentation or official records.
The essay’s account of repeated conflict follows reports that Israeli strikes in Lebanon continued despite a ceasefire declaration and a statement by Trump that Israel was “PROHIBITED” by the United States from carrying out strikes, according to NaturalNews.com. [4]
Mearsheimer Cites Venezuela, Gaza Policies
The essay states that Trump “kidnapped Venezuela’s president” and, in Mearsheimer’s words, is running that country as if it is an American colony, not a sovereign state. Mearsheimer wrote that Trump and former President Joe Biden are complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its endless pogroms in the West Bank, according to the essay.
The book “Israel and South Africa” asserts that Israel “has much in common with white-ruled South Africa” and that “Israeli apartheid will be more enduring than the South African variant.” [5] The essay offers no independent verification or reporting beyond Mearsheimer’s own claims.
Essay Argues Mainstream Media Limit Dissent
Mearsheimer wrote that mainstream U.S. media have become less willing to provide dissenters with a platform since the Cold War ended. According to the essay, mainstream outlets often seem to speak with one voice on the big foreign policy issues of the day and that voice usually backs U.S. government policy.
Mearsheimer stated that Antiwar.com fills what he called a dangerous void in public discourse by providing an indispensable platform for critics to challenge the foreign policy establishment. The essay urges readers to support Antiwar.com, stating that “a flourishing Antiwar.com is very much in the U.S. national interest,” according to Mearsheimer.
Background on Mearsheimer and Antiwar.com
Mearsheimer is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, according to the essay’s author biography. He is known for co-authoring “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” with Stephen M. Walt, which was later published as a book. [6]
Antiwar.com describes itself as 100% reader-supported, according to the site’s fundraising appeal accompanying the essay. The essay was published in the site’s News section on Aug. 5, 2026, and had drawn five comments at the time of publication.
The essay was published days after U.S. Central Command announced renewed airstrikes in Iran in what it called a “powerful response” to attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces, according to The Times of Israel. [7]
References
- NaturalNews.com. “Iran Erects Billboard Threatening Trump Amid Ongoing Tensions”. NaturalNews.com. July 30, 2026.
- Sami Al-Arian. “The War on Iran Was a Strategic Disaster for America and Israel”. Middle East Eye. June 24, 2026.
- NaturalNews.com. “No Deal Reached Amid Conflicting Reports; Trump Presses Nuclear Issue”. NaturalNews.com. May 24, 2026.
- Garrison Vance. “Israeli Strikes in Lebanon Continue Despite Ceasefire Declaration, Trump’s Prohibition Statement”. NaturalNews.com. April 20, 2026.
- “Israel and South Africa”.
- John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt. “The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy”.
- “US Resumes Strikes on Iran in ‘Powerful Response’ to Attacks Targeting Its Forces”. The Times of Israel. July 30, 2026.
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