# Transformative Realism - Marc Saxer | 2025 Episode 31

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770/transformative-realism-marc-saxer-2025-episode-31
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770/transformative-realism-marc-saxer-2025-episode-31.md
Podcast: [The IR thinker](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ir-thinker-6691770)
Published: 2025-12-17T09:57:38+00:00
Episode link: https://www.irthinker.com/transformative-realism-marc-saxer
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/655776911a7d7e0012cbc914/e/69427e932ddaba3da187c4c5/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ir-thinker-6691770/episodes/transformative-realism-marc-saxer-2025-episode-31
Duration seconds: 2452

## Resource

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.

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## Transcript

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