sie gestürzt waren. Eine solide zeithistorische Bilanz der Clinton-Administration muss wohl erst noch geschrieben werden. Franz Ansprenger, Berlin JOHN J. MEARSHEIMER: Why Leaders Lie. The Truth about Lying in International Politics New York 2011 Oxford University Press, 160 p G eorge W. Bush is lying!« This thought surely crossed former Chancellor Schröder’s mind when reading particular passages of the former us President’s memoir Decision Points, detailing conversations in the run-up to the Iraq War. But Schröder carefully refrained from publicly referring to Bush as a»liar,« instead phrasing his accusation as»not telling the truth.« 1 This is perfectly understandable according to international relations theorist John Mearsheimer who, in his latest book Why Leaders Lie, analyzes different forms of lying in international politics. Accusing someone of lying, according to Mearsheimer,»is such a serious charge« that even if it applies people often»employ softer language«(viii). In the past few years, Mearsheimer, Professor of Political Science at the Uni­versity of Chicago, has systematically researched cases of lying in international politics covering a spectrum from the Ems Dispatch in the nineteenth century to present-day controversies about the Iraq War or the Iranian nuclear program. Cataloguing these examples, Mearsheimer distinguishes between selfish lies, which»aim to protect their own personal interests,« and strategic lies that leaders tell in the national interest(p. 11). He focuses exclusively on the latter, the strategic lies, which – being a»card-carrying realist«(ix) – he sees as legitimate:»Lying is sometimes a useful instrument of statecraft in a dangerous world«(p. 12). Mears­heimer divides the generic term»deception« – that is, the deliberate prevention of others from knowing the full truth – into three categories: (i) Lying: Making a statement that the author»knows or suspects to be false in the hope that others will think it is true«(p. 16). (ii) Spinning: Exaggerating or distorting facts in order to more favorably re­present one’s own position. (iii) Concealment:»Withholding information that might undermine or weaken one’s position«(p. 17). 1. Charles Hawley:»The Legacy Battle: Bush–Schröder Enmity Continues in Memoirs.« Spiegel Online, November 10, 2010; available at: www.spiegel.de/in­ternational/world/0,1518,728336,00.html 148 Rezensionen/Book Reviews ipg 3/2011