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

Carnegie Council Podcasts · Feb 20, 2026 · 1h 1m

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…