Episode
Transformative Realism - Marc Saxer | 2025 Episode 31
- Podcast
- The IR thinker
- Published
- Dec 17, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 2452
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.irthinker.com/transformative-realism-marc-saxer
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Summary
In this episode, we sit down with political analyst Marc Saxer to explore his theory of Transformative Realism and why he believes we’re living through a profound systemic crisis. From the erosion of international norms to the urgent need for reimagined statecraft, Marc offers a compelling framework for understanding the forces reshaping our world and what political leadership must look like in response. Marc Saxer Marc Saxer is a political analyst, strategist, and writer with two decades of experience in international relations. He heads the Asia Pacific office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Shtiftung and convenes the Asia Strategic Foresight Group. Publications: Transformative Realism: How to overcome the system crisis Geopolitical Conflict in the Wolf World: Great Power Competition and the Illiberal Revolt against the Liberal Order Content 00:00 - Introduction 01:38 - Understanding Transformative Realism 04:50 - Defining Systemic Crisis 07:39 - Marc’s Most Compelling Crisis Case Study 15:08 - The Erosion of International Norms and Rules 18:24 - Recognizing the Signs of Systemic Crisis 20:18 - The Role of Agency in Transformative Realism 28:18 - Reimagining Statecraft and Political Leadership 33:44 - The Crisis in Modern Statecraft Education Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.