The President’s Inbox A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for a Realist Foreign Policy, With Stephen Walt
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Aug 26, 2025 Stephen Walt, a leading figure in international affairs and a professor at Harvard, debates the merits of a realist foreign policy with James M. Lindsay. They discuss the principles of realism, especially the dangers of military overreach and the necessity of understanding power dynamics in global politics. Walt emphasizes a strategic pivot towards Asia amid China's rise and advocates for offshore balancing, arguing for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense. They also touch on the financial benefits of this approach, enhanced by emerging technologies.
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Anarchy Forces Self-Reliance
- Realists see international politics as anarchy where states must rely on themselves for security.
- That makes hard power central and cooperation fragile and contingent on interests.
Limits Of Liberal Pacifiers
- Liberal internationalists overstate democracy, trade, and institutions as pacifying forces.
- Stephen Walt argues institutions shape but do not restrain great powers from acting on core interests.
Kissinger And Vietnam Example
- Henry Kissinger supported involvement in Vietnam based on credibility and symbolism rather than realist balance-of-power logic.
- Walt notes the U.S. lost in Vietnam and the feared cascade of allied defections never happened.
