Free to Move: Talking Democracy on the Asia Chessboard with Derek Mitchell and Dan Twining

As strategic competition between the U.S. and China heats up, old Cold War-era questions on the importance of values are being asked anew: to what extent does ideology, democracy in particular, factor into U.S. foreign policy in Asia? Mike is joined by Ambassador Derek Mitchell of the National Democratic Institute and Dr. Dan Twining of the International Republican Institute to dive into the past, present, and future roles of democracy support in U.S. Asia policy. The three begin by discussing the cliched idea that the U.S. must always choose between promotion of its values and defense of its hard interests. Mike, Derek, and Dan then turn to how the U.S. should approach Asian allies whose democratic institutions are under attack domestically and from abroad. The trio conclude the discussion by examining how the U.S. might encourage its democratic allies in Asia to see how support for democratic governance benefits their own security concerns.