Gaza, Ukaine: What's great and what's missing in the analysis of two top scholars

By Bharat Dogra 

There is a growing unease across the world that the academic community has not lived up to its responsibilities for advancing global peace and welfare. Some academics have even turned into advocates of war or promoters of inequality and injustice. In such distressing times, one eagerly awaits the voices of those few who have steadfastly upheld truth and justice.

The two most significant events in recent times—the Gaza genocide and the Ukraine-Russia war—provide a test of how leading global thinkers respond to grave moral and geopolitical crises. Among the few who have distinguished themselves by persistently and fearlessly defending truth, peace, and justice are Professor John Mearsheimer and Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs. Both have offered deeply informed analyses of these conflicts, grounded in exceptional scholarship, clarity, and courage. Through their writings and numerous interviews, they have reached wide audiences with their compelling arguments.

Professor Mearsheimer is rightly credited for his prescient warnings about the Ukraine conflict. Long before the war erupted, he had repeatedly emphasized that Western policies—particularly NATO’s expansion—would provoke tragic consequences. His clear and consistent advice for policy correction, sadly, went largely unheeded. Yet even his admirers sometimes wish that his otherwise brilliant geopolitical analyses extended more toward offering concrete solutions to prevent conflicts, rather than focusing mainly on the inevitability of great power clashes. Moreover, his concentration on Europe, the Middle East, and U.S. rivalries tends to leave out other regions where humanitarian crises have been equally devastating.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs, on the other hand, brings to his commentary a broader range of concerns. Trained as an economist and development expert, he often weaves issues of global development and environment into his political analysis. His ability to propose specific solutions—such as his recent detailed proposals regarding Gaza—sets him apart from many peers. His courage in consistently critiquing imperialism has earned him admiration worldwide.

However, Professor Sachs can sometimes appear overly optimistic about the United Nations and reluctant to acknowledge its repeated failures at the highest levels. Similarly, his strong appreciation for China’s role in global development risks glossing over darker chapters of its recent history—such as the famine of 1959–62, the atrocities of the Cultural Revolution, support for genocidal regimes in Cambodia and East Pakistan, and invasions of India and Vietnam. His portrayal of China as a largely peaceful and sustainable model of development may therefore appear overstated. For those searching for genuine alternatives to both capitalism and authoritarian communism, such selective assessments can be misleading.

That said, there is no denying the enormous value of Professor Sachs’s contributions, or those of Professor Mearsheimer. Their courage, insight, and integrity stand out in an era of widespread academic conformity and silence. Yet the gaps in even their analyses remind us of a larger failure—the failure of the global academic world to respond adequately to the unprecedented challenges of our times.

Humanity today faces a multi-dimensional survival crisis, compounded by deep injustices and inequalities. Meeting this challenge requires not just isolated voices of wisdom but a truly multi-disciplinary approach that integrates peace studies, environmental science, economics, ethics, and political thought. Only through such a collective intellectual and moral awakening can the world move toward a just, democratic, and sustainable future.

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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Earth Without Borders, Man Over Machine, and A Day in 2071