Okay, listen, you should probably drink a cup of coffee before this episode because I'm about to give you a crash course in international relations theory.

In fact, I'm going to make you a promise.

By the end of today's episode, you are going to grasp the

fundamentals of I. R. Theory. You will know and understand the basics of realism,

liberalism, power dynamics, deterrence,

the bedrock concepts of foreign policy,

which at this very minute are being discussed

in the halls of power at the Pentagon,

the State Department, and the Kremlin.

And you, too, will be able to coherently discuss them.

Next time you crash of Brookings Cocktail Party,

seduce an ambassador, or sneak into a meeting of the Bilderberg group using one of those

hilarious two-man horse costumes. And listen, I know the phrase International Relations theory sounds boring.

So let me tell you what we're really analyzing today.

The DNA of war, the root cause of

cause of geopolitical turmoil and the fundamental

competing approaches to mitigate it.

And that intellectual conflict is laid bare in the real-world conflict happening at this

very moment in Ukraine. Hello and welcome to the political orphanage. I'm your host Andrew Heaton.

There's a big chunk of new people listening to the show this week, so let me warn you about

what you're getting yourself into.

The political orphanage is for folks tired of hysterical partisan noise who don't want to get sucked into eternal red team

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