John J. Mearsheimer is an American political scientist and professor at the University of Chicago. He is best known for his theories on offensive realism, which he developed in his book The Tragedy of Great Power Politics. He has also written extensively on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and is a vocal critic of US foreign policy in the Middle East. Mearsheimer has been awarded numerous honors, including the International Studies Association's Distinguished Scholar Award and the American Political Science Association's Hubert H. Humphrey Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations.