The Hundred Year Pivot Ep. 8 – Jonathan Kirshner

In this episode of The 100-Year Pivot, Grant Williams and Demetri Kofinas interview Jonathan Kirshner about realism in foreign policy and international relations. Kirshner explains realism as a paradigm for understanding the world, emphasizing anarchy and the potential for conflict between states. The conversation explores the challenges of defining national interests in a changing global order, the role of the United States, and the rise of personalist authoritarianism. The hosts and guest discuss the importance of truth, the dangers of undermining established facts, and the need for courage in the face of uncertainty. They also touch on historical comparisons, such as pre-World War II France, to understand current political trends and the erosion of civic nationalism.