Libertarian perspectives on foreign intervention
Encyclopedia
Libertarian perspectives on foreign intervention started as a reaction to the Cold War
mentality of military interventionism promoted by conservatives like William F. Buckley which had supplanted Old Right
non-interventionism
. The Vietnam War
split the uneasy alliance between growing numbers of self-identified libertarians and the Cold War conservatives. Libertarians opposed to the war joined the draft resistance
and peace movement
s and created organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society
. The split was aggravated at the 1969 Young Americans for Freedom
convention where the burning of a draft card
sparked physical confrontations among convention attendees, a walkout by a large number of libertarians, and the creation of antiwar libertarian organizations.
Antiwar and non-interventionist libertarians were highly influenced by libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard
and author/activist Karl Hess
. Rothbard criticized imperialism
and the rise of the American empire which needed war to sustain itself and to expand its global control. Rothbard held that knowledge of history was important because “Our entry into World War II was the crucial act in foisting a permanent militarization upon the economy and society, in bringing to the country a permanent garrison state, an overweening military-industrial complex, a permanent system of conscription." This tradition is continued in the non-interventionist analysis of those like the Cato Institute
's David Boaz
and of U.S. Representative Ron Paul
.
Libertarians have criticized conservatives and those libertarian conservatives who supported the United States' 2001 invasion of Afghanistan
and 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupations. In 2010 the United States Libertarian Party
criticized conservatives for supporting a "trillion-dollar foreign war."
Some libertarians also criticize from a libertarian perspective the actions of foreign governments, like Saudi Arabia
and Israel
. In "War Guilt in the Middle East" libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard
details Israel's "aggression against Middle East Arabs," confiscatory policies and its "refusal to let these refugees return and reclaim the property taken from them." Rothbard also criticized the “organized Anti-Anti-Semitism” that critics of the state of Israel have to suffer. In "Property Rights and the 'Right of Return'" professor Richard Ebeling
writes: "If a settlement is reached between the Israelis and the Palestinians, justice would suggest that all legitimate property should be returned to its rightful owners and that residence by those owners on their property should be once again permitted." Attorney Stephen P. Halbrook in "The Alienation of a Homeland: How Palestine Became Israel" writes: “Palestinian Arabs have the rights to return to their homes and estates taken over by Israelis, to receive just compensation for loss of life and property, and to exercise national self-determination.”
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
mentality of military interventionism promoted by conservatives like William F. Buckley which had supplanted Old Right
Old Right
Old Right may refer to:* Old Right , the ideology and policies of the Conservative Party that predated the ideological shift led by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher...
non-interventionism
Non-interventionism
Nonintervention or non-interventionism is a foreign policy which holds that political rulers should avoid alliances with other nations, but still retain diplomacy, and avoid all wars not related to direct self-defense...
. The Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
split the uneasy alliance between growing numbers of self-identified libertarians and the Cold War conservatives. Libertarians opposed to the war joined the draft resistance
Draft dodger
Draft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
and peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
s and created organizations such as Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
. The split was aggravated at the 1969 Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom is a 501 non-profit organization and is now a project of Young America's Foundation. YAF is an ideologically conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960, as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians...
convention where the burning of a draft card
Draft-card burning
Draft-card burning was a symbol of protest performed by thousands of young American men as part of the opposition to the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War. Beginning in May 1964, some activists burned their draft cards at anti-war rallies and demonstrations. By May 1965 it was...
sparked physical confrontations among convention attendees, a walkout by a large number of libertarians, and the creation of antiwar libertarian organizations.
Antiwar and non-interventionist libertarians were highly influenced by libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
and author/activist Karl Hess
Karl Hess
Karl Hess was an American national-level speechwriter and author. He was also a political philosopher, editor, welder, motorcycle racer, tax resister, atheist, and libertarian activist...
. Rothbard criticized imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
and the rise of the American empire which needed war to sustain itself and to expand its global control. Rothbard held that knowledge of history was important because “Our entry into World War II was the crucial act in foisting a permanent militarization upon the economy and society, in bringing to the country a permanent garrison state, an overweening military-industrial complex, a permanent system of conscription." This tradition is continued in the non-interventionist analysis of those like the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
's David Boaz
David Boaz
David Boaz is the executive vice president of the Cato Institute, an American libertarian think tank. He played a key role in the Institute's development and the American libertarian movement....
and of U.S. Representative Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
.
Libertarians have criticized conservatives and those libertarian conservatives who supported the United States' 2001 invasion of Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent occupations. In 2010 the United States Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
criticized conservatives for supporting a "trillion-dollar foreign war."
Some libertarians also criticize from a libertarian perspective the actions of foreign governments, like Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In "War Guilt in the Middle East" libertarian scholar Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
details Israel's "aggression against Middle East Arabs," confiscatory policies and its "refusal to let these refugees return and reclaim the property taken from them." Rothbard also criticized the “organized Anti-Anti-Semitism” that critics of the state of Israel have to suffer. In "Property Rights and the 'Right of Return'" professor Richard Ebeling
Richard Ebeling
Richard M. Ebeling is an American libertarian author, and was president of the Foundation for Economic Education from 2003 to 2008....
writes: "If a settlement is reached between the Israelis and the Palestinians, justice would suggest that all legitimate property should be returned to its rightful owners and that residence by those owners on their property should be once again permitted." Attorney Stephen P. Halbrook in "The Alienation of a Homeland: How Palestine Became Israel" writes: “Palestinian Arabs have the rights to return to their homes and estates taken over by Israelis, to receive just compensation for loss of life and property, and to exercise national self-determination.”
External links
- Jeffrey Alan Miron - Intervention in Darfur? - 10/05/06
- "Long Live Libertarianism!" by Justin Raimondo
- Lew Rockwell.com - War and Foreign Policy by Murray N. Rothbard
- The Libertarian Party - U.S. in Iraq: War or welfare project? by Mark Selzer 18/05/05
- Magnifisyncopathological - Tony Woodlief on Libertarianism III - 18/11/02
- Paperwright's Fair Shot - Libertarians For Foreign Intervention - 14/08/05
- Samizdata.net - The fatal conceits of foreign intervention by Jonathan Pearce 15/07/06