In this podcast, Nigel Biggar joins R.R. Reno to talk about his essay ‘A Christian Defense of American Empire‘ which can be found in the October 2022 issue of First Things. They discuss the negative connotations of the word ’empire’ and the nature of America’s role in the world today. 
 

‘Ultimately, the justification for wielding dominant, imperial power depends on the value of the goals it seeks to serve. Of course, the first duty of a national government is to defend and promote the security and prosperity of its own people—and to do that for 332 million Americans is hardly a selfish act. But the defense and promotion of the domestic security and well-being of one people depends upon making and keeping the international environment friendly rather than hostile. So, what is defended and promoted at home must be defended and promoted abroad. And if what is defended and ­promoted includes values and institutions generally important for human welfare—such as the rule of law, an incorrupt civil service, and legal rights—then foreign peoples will benefit as well, as indeed many have since 1945.’

Nigel Biggar, ‘A Christian Defense of American Empire’