The Tragedy of Great Power Politics

Regional hegemons prefer that there be at least two great powers located together in other regions, because their proximity will force them to concentrate their attention on each other rather than on the distant hegemon.

Every state might want to be king of the hill, but not every state has the wherewithal to compete for that lofty position, much less achieve it.

Most people prefer to think of fights between their own state and rival states as clashes between good and evil, where they are on the side of the angels and their opponents are aligned with the devil.

We could not make sense of the complex world around us without simplifying theories.