Elbridge Colby, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, is described everywhere as a an “anti-interventionist”—that is, he opposes the neo-conservative crusade to spread “democracy” in the world—"realist” who sees China as seeking regional hegemony in Asia, which, if it succeeds, would be detrimental to U.S. interests. Colby appears to be a leading voice in the Republican Party of a pivot away from Europe, including Ukraine, and Southwest Asia and towards a military build-up aimed at China. He speaks of avoiding war with China, but his geopolitical mischaracterization of China as a regional hegemon which the U.S. must contain and be prepared to fight, could still lead to a catastrophic war.
Kelly Vlahos, editorial director of Responsible Statecraft, described him as “an advocate of building up military assets and deterrence as a way to avoid future U.S. wars—particularly with China,” in an article posted yesterday. In the next paragraph, she writes that “Colby has openly said he opposed the Iraq war and every U.S. conflict/overseas intervention since, and has been a vocal critic of U.S. proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. He has supported Ukraine’s campaign to defend itself, but says the war is not a first priority interest of the United States and warns that continuing Washington aid and weapons at the current pace won’t make a difference there, while sapping U.S. resources for its own defenses.”
Vlahos quotes Colby from an op-ed he placed in the Wall Street Journal in September:
