Mearsheimer is not merely noting, he is criticizing and wants the West to join Russia against China with "laser focus"- that's directly from linked interview.

Mearsheimer is not merely noting, he is criticizing and wants the West to join Russia against China with "laser focus"- that's directly from linked interview. If that means throwing whole middle third of Europe plus Caucasus under the bus, he's apparently okay with that. Finland managed to develop under forced neutrality but that was an exception, life elsewhere between EU and Russia was pretty miserable and has led to wars before. So, western avoidance would not have won stability here either.