Keeping it Real(ism), with Assoc. Professor Paul Poast

Realism—the international relations theory centered on power, national interests, and anarchy—is having a political moment. From the halls of the Munich Security Conference to the pages of the U.S. National Security Strategy, “realism” has taken center stage in debates about U.S. foreign policy. But what does realism actually mean in a historical context, and how is it being applied today?

Paul Poast, associate professor at The University of Chicago and nonresident fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, joins the Values & Interests podcast to unpack the intellectual roots of realism, how the theory migrated into policy circles, and why today’s geopolitical actors—including the Trump administration—are eager to brand their foreign policy as “pure realism.”

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit. The views expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Carnegie Council.