True North, Ep. 15: Values or Interests in US Foreign Policy Toward China?
Marc LiVecche
27.48
11 May 2021
8 January 2026
In this episode of True North, Daniel Strand and Marc LiVecche speak with The Marathon Initiative co-founder and principal Elbridge Colby to discuss his recent National Interest essay, “Interest, Not Values Should Guide America’s China Strategy.” Bridge reflects on the differences between alliances and partnerships, why aligning even with regimes with less-than-ideal human rights records or liberal values can be both prudent as well permissible, and how such interest-focused partnerships don’t necessarily violate moral principles. In conclusion, Bridge provides a keen description of the role of faith in foreign policy relations and strategy decisions.
See:
Elbridge Colby, “Interest, Not Values Should Guide America’s China Strategy,” The National Interest, April 25, 2021: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/interests-not-values-should-guide-america’s-china-strategy-183430
Elbridge Colby, “Containing China Will Be Complicated,” Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2020: https://www.wsj.com/articles/containing-china-will-be-complicated-11588892200
Marc LiVecche, Rebeccah Heinrichs, Elbridge Colby, and Matthew Kroenig, “A World Free of Nuclear Weapons? A Happy Hour Discussion,” Providence, December 1, 2020: https://providencemag.com/video/world-free-nuclear-weapons-happy-hour-discussion/
Mark Tooley and Elbridge Colby, “Elbridge Colby on China and Ideology,” Providence, September 13, 2020: https://providencemag.com/video/elbridge-colby-on-china-ideology/
