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Power Problems • June 29, 2021 

# Realpolitik and Diplomacy: Are States Rational? 

Many realists assume that national leaders are rational. But are they? University of Southern California professor Brian Rathbun draws on classical realism to argue that realpolitik is a demanding psychological standard that is less prevalent than often assumed. Constructive diplomacy obligates policymakers, therefore, to better account for both their own subjective biases and those of other states.

**Show Notes**

- [Brian Rathbun bio](https://dornsife.usc.edu/cf/faculty-and-staff/faculty.cfm?pid=1022645)
- Brian Rathbun, *[Reasoning of State: Realists, Romantics and Rationality in International Relations](https://www.amazon.com/Reasoning-State-Romantics-Rationality-International/dp/1108446183)* (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2019).
- Brian C. Rathbun, *[Diplomacy’s Value: Creating Security in 1920s Europe and the Contemporary Middle East](https://www.amazon.com/Diplomacys-Value-Creating-Security-Contemporary/dp/0801479908)* (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2014).
- Brian Rathbun, “[The Reality of Realpolitik: What Bismarck’s Rationality Reveals about International Politics](https://direct.mit.edu/isec/article/43/1/7/12204/The-Rarity-of-Realpolitik-What-Bismarck-s),” *International Security* 43, no. 1 (Summer 2018): 7–55.

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This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). 

##### Featuring 

##### Brian Rathbun 

Professor, University of Southern California

![John Glaser](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/John%20Glaser.jpg?itok=-uvxR8zG) 

##### John Glaser 

Host, Power Problems Podcast

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](https://twitter.com/jwcglaser)