In Why Leaders Lie, Mearsheimer provides the first systematic analysis of lying
as a tool of statecraft, identifying the varieties, the reasons, and the potential
costs and benefits. Drawing on a wealth of examples, he argues that leaders often
lie for good strategic reasons, so a blanket condemnation is unrealistic and unwise.
Yet there are other kinds of deception besides lying, including concealment and
spinning. Perhaps no distinction is more important than that between lying to another
state and lying to one's own people. Mearsheimer was amazed to discover how unusual
interstate lying has been; given the atmosphere of distrust among the great powers,
he found that outright deceit is difficult to pull off and thus rarely worth the
effort. Moreover, it sometimes backfires when it does occur. Khrushchev lied about
the size of the Soviet missile force, sparking an American build-up. Eisenhower was
caught lying about U-2 spy flights in 1960, which scuttled an upcoming summit with
Krushchev. Leaders are more likely to mislead their own publics than other states,
sometimes with damaging consequences. Though the reasons may be noble--Franklin
Roosevelt, for example, lied to the American people about German U-boats attacking
the destroyer USS Greer in 1940, to build a case for war against Hitler-they can
easily lead to disaster, as with the Bush administration's falsehoods about Iraq's
weapons of mass destruction.

There has never been a sharp analysis of international lying. Now a leading expert
provides a richly informed and powerfully argued work that will change our
understanding of why leaders lie.
Features
First work written on a fundamental issue in international relations
Author is a well known provocateur and one the most influential international
relations scholars in the world
Comprehensive analysis of lying in world affairs that is filled with engaging
historical examples

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