NI StaffPodcast audio:
The American attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities was met with intense public debate about the proper course of U.S. foreign policy. The Objectivist philosophy offers a distinctive framework for thinking about such issues.
In his 2025 OCON talk, “Principles of a Proper Foreign Policy,” Peter Schwartz, an Objectivist intellectual and former chairman of ARI’s board, argues that a nation’s foreign policy should be guided by the principle of individual rights and aimed at protecting the nation’s freedom.
Schwartz explains why this approach requires the consistent application of moral judgment. He criticizes the dominant diplomatic approach, which forbids pronouncing moral judgment and has led to decades of disastrous consequences as a result.
Among the topics covered:
- Individual rights as the guiding principle of a nation’s foreign policy;
- Why justice and moral judgment are crucial for a proper foreign policy;
- Why Trump’s foreign policy is against America’s interests;
- How to address threats from Iran and elsewhere;
- Why diplomacy has failed, and why a principled policy of self-interest is urgently needed;
- Miscellaneous questions about foreign policy:
- How close we are to World War 3;
- Whether appeasement works sometimes;
- How people can sympathize with Hamas and Iran;
- Whether individuals should be allowed to trade with hostile countries.
This talk was recorded live on July 2nd in Boston, MA, as part of the 2025 Objectivist Summer Conference, and is available on The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.
Image Credit: Vadim_Nefedov / via Getty Images
