Are We on a Collision Course with China? | Elbridge Colby

Will the US go to war with China over Taiwan? Most Americans have a hard time seeing that as a real possibility. Why should the US care about an island right off China’s mainland that’s smaller than its biggest national park?

Foreign policy expert Elbridge Colby, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, breaks down China’s plan to dominate the Eastern Hemisphere—starting with Taiwan—and then challenge US hegemony.

Colby is a co-founder and principal of the Marathon Initiative, a foreign policy think tank, and the author of The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict.

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Time stamps:
00:00 – Introduction
01:31 – What Taiwan’s recent elections mean
04:29 – Why is Taiwan worth defending?
10:30 – The US is on a collision course with China
13:32 – Is this all about semiconductors?
17:32 – Military strategy in a potential war over Taiwan
20:12 – Taiwan has been buying arms from the US for years
25:43 – Military preparedness across Asia

[KGold]

Colby is a well-known military industrial complex ally and warhawk, so he overstates the China threat. The Taiwan election, contrary to what he says here, changed nothing, except to signal that the voters are moving away from the more anti-China DPP, which received only 40% of the vote this time, versus 57% four years ago in the presidential election. A third party, the relatively new TPP, helped reduce the number of seats held by the DPP in the legislature by 10, from a majority to a minority with only 51 of 113 seats. The vast majority in Taiwan want the status quo, and do not want to formally declare independence. Colby wrote an article for Foreign Affairs magazine, titled “America Must Prepare for a War over Taiwan”. He advocated doubling the defense budget. He seems not to understand that peaceful coexistence with China is the result of diplomacy, not of the doubling of defense spending. But that’s his wheelhouse, a military mind first and foremost. No thanks to his prescriptions.

[domino]

I think your first impression in asking why a conflict between China and Taiwan should matter to Americans was correct. If we’re in our right minds and want to avoid nuclear war that destroys everything we won’t have a thing to do with it. Same goes for Ukraine and Israel. Why do you interview these neocon warmongers and not confront them about this? Have on some guests like Professors Jeffrey Sachs & John Mearsheimer or Col. Larry Wilkerson and get some truth.

[underfearless]

The DPP won 57.1% of the popular votes in the 2020 presidential election but only won 40% of the popular votes in the 2024 presidential election. This means that 60% of Taiwanese do not want independence but want the status quo to remain.

[jukio]

China has time on their hands. China is growing stronger and more powerful with each passing year, while Taiwan is still growing, but at a much slower pace than China. In 10-15 years from now, Taiwan and even the US won't be able to do anything if China decides to forcefully take Taiwan back.

[SAM-ihxk]

Why is Asia “obviously where the growth is”!? How about “made in America”. There’s a cost to everything being super cheap.

[BipinKhimasia]

Thought of a war with China over Taiwan, is intellectually stupid..
Supporting China n Taiwan to achieve one China, two systems should be our thrust.

[justinliu]

The world will realign anyways whether or not the US defends Taiwan.

[JohnDoe-nhss]

Did you know A. I. Is a script editor from the 1980's?😋

[justinmccarthy]

US security is dependent on no single power or combination of aligned powers dominating the Eurasian land mass. The US intervened in two world wars to preempt such an occurrence. The combined population size, resources and technological ability of Eurasia would create an economic / military juggernaut that could easily dominate the US or deny US access to much of the world. 

And, our ability to avoid such an occurrence relies heavily on our alliance structure and the confidence our allies have in the US ability to deter or defeat the potential for such a Eurasian concentration of power. Failure to defend Taiwan could force many allies to either re-align with China or move to a neutral or anti US posture making the US more vulnerable and significantly reducing US economic potential. Hopefully, deterrence can be maintained.

For those who would listen to the short term interests of Wall Street or corporations to guide US policy; just remember that US corporations were cultivating Hitler before WWII. Or, the old Marxist joke about capitalists; "They will sell us the rope we hang them with."

[anuragsinha]

China is the new Soviet Empire, has all the hallmarks of Imperial Japan and China has the ambitions like Mongol Empire.

[ggttuuxx]

Ed, are you being paid a large sum by the Military Industrial Complex now? If not, why are you interviewing warmongers?? If you have any more of these traitors to the Constitution, I will unsubscribe and will never come back.

[JohnDoe-nhss]

Youtube Chris williamson😋 social media algorithms are manipulating human behaviour😋

[justinliu]

Seeth and cope losers. Y'all living in a failing hegemone that's lived past its best before date 😂

[kenuston]

Taiwan falls, Japan falls, Philippines' falls, Vietnam U.S. falls.