The Burn Bag – National Security and Foreign Policy Redefined

America and the World: Primacy, Alliances, and the Post-COVID Order with Professor Stephen Walt

May 03, 2021 Episode 54
The Burn Bag – National Security and Foreign Policy Redefined
America and the World: Primacy, Alliances, and the Post-COVID Order with Professor Stephen Walt
Show Notes

In this week's episode of The Burn Bag Podcast, A'ndre and Ryan speak to Professor Stephen Walt, a distinguished thinker in international relations who currently teaches at Harvard University. Professor Walt, a leading scholar and subscriber to the school of realism in international relations, spoke to us about the state of U.S. power in the world today, and on the idea of primacy (the U.S. being the 'first among equals') and why/how the U.S. can maintain it. This leads to a broader conversation on U.S. grand strategy and the viability of 'offshore balancing' versus hegemony. A discussion on U.S. alliances and the threats from China and Russia follows, wrapping with Professor Walt's thoughts on the post-COVID world order.

Professor Walt is a regular contributor to Foreign Policy, and you can check out the litany of books and other publications he has here.