Libertarianism 101: What's the libertarian position on foreign policy?

July 23, 4:43 PMDallas Libertarian ExaminerGarry Reed

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In 300 words or less...

Contrary to popular opinion, willful ignorance, or intentional misrepresentation, libertarians do not believe in isolationism. 

Libertarians believe in nonintervention.

The difference is simple, but important.

 
Map of U.S. military bases around the world as of 2007, including those in the former Republic of Texas (Image by Rama, Wikimedia Commons, Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr)
 

Isolationism is the cartoon ostrich sticking its head in the sandbox and refusing to see reality.

Noninterventionism is seeing reality very clearly and choosing to stay the hell out of it whenever it doesn't involve defending America from foreign attack.

As a nation, the supreme law of America is the Constitution. That document created a federal government and gave it certain enumerated powers, one being to "provide for the common Defence."

Not warmongering, not empire building, not land grabbing, not preemptive attack, not policing the world, not picking sides in other country's brawls, but defense.

The familiar quote by Thomas Jefferson, "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliances with none," neatly sums up libertarian foreign policy.

As an individual, you may do whatever you like as long as you don't coerce, intimidate or defraud others in the doing of it.

Want to help free the Uighurs from China? Go do it. Want to aid the starving people of Africa? Have at it. Want to fund Hezbollah while your brother sends money to Israel? That's your and his business.

You can advocate your cause, help develop organizations and associations, go tote a gun on a battlefield or conduct fundraising events or consciousness raising experiences about your cause. It's your choice. But no one, neither individually nor collectively, has a right to force that choice on others.

If a collective entity called government doesn't exist for the sole purpose of guaranteeing every individual's rights, it shouldn't exist at all. Mucking around in the doings of other countries isn't foreign policy; it's just arrogant muscle flexing.

That's the libertarian take on foreign policy.

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