Tidefan, I'm sorry, but I have to jump in here. Mearsheimer could not be farther from neoconservativism in his ideology. Perhaps you're confusing Mearsheimer with some old Chicagoans, Leo Strauss and Alan Bloom, who are associated with the origins of neoconservativism (though a lot of people totally absolve Strauss here). Mearsheimer's a true realist - to the extent that he advocates policy, he advocates acting in the narrow national interest as the only path to a stable international system. That means a focus on stability over humanitarian intervention, democracy promotion, etc (to simplify). He just published a controvertial volume arguing that America's support for Israel should be wholly reconsidered because it's fundamentally counter to our national interest - and you call him a neocon? In terms of right or left wing, it's true that the most prominent realists in government have tended to come from the Republican party (Kissinger, Scowcroft), but in the current debate it's a lot more complicated - there are plenty of "leftists" advocating a move away from democracy promotion, humanitarian intervention, etc. I'm sorry to be a little hot under the collar, but such a profound mischaracterization is in nobody's best interest.