Tag: war
Highlights from our Reddit AMA with Professor Bryan Caplan
June 28, 2017 | Post
“From the evidence I’ve seen, propaganda works – though not nearly as well as the propagandists would hope.”
Reddit AMA with Economist and Iconoclast, Professor Bryan Caplan
June 15, 2017 | Post
Bryan Caplan is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University. He is a prolific blogger and author of three books: The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies (2007), Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think (2011), and the forthcoming The Case […]
Trump, Trade, and Great Power War
March 23, 2017 | Post
One of the signature features of President Donald Trump’s campaign was his hostility to free trade. Then-candidate Trump repeatedly denigrated various multilateral trade pacts as bad deals for the United States. Pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, appointing opponents of free trade—such as Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro—into key positions, and promises of tariffs that are likely to […]
Defense spending: Why we pay for the permanent war economy
March 22, 2017 | Post
The defense budget is about to balloon again, but there’s no reason to assume we need more military spending.
Why don’t humans kill each other like we used to?
March 16, 2017 | Post
Pinker claims — but fails to prove — that early states significantly increased human welfare by reducing the rate of war death.
Here are 10 classic films that will make you question government
March 5, 2017 | Post
Whether you’re a casual moviegoer or a diehard cinephile, you will learn a lot about government from watching these ten great movies, all of which are rated as being some of the best of all time by IMDb and the American Film Institute.
Refugees, immigration, and the trolley problem
March 5, 2017 | Post
During the presidential campaign Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, tweeted a picture of a bowl of Skittles candies along with the caption: “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.” Trump’s tweet generated backlash from many corners but […]
3 Oscar films for the radical individualist
February 24, 2017 | Post
This year’s Oscar nominations offer up a few really excellent stories about individuals resisting the pressures of both collectives and the state.
War, diplomacy, and global uncertainty in the Trump era
February 14, 2017 | Post
Are Trump’s cabinet full of generals, his openness to torture, and the “peace through strength” message from the White House all signs that he plans to rely on military power.
President Trump's 6 biggest threats to liberty
January 20, 2017 | Post
Donald Trump is president. Here are his six biggest threats to liberty.
Edgar Allan Poe’s hilarious, horrifying vision of the future
January 19, 2017 | Post
January 19, 2017 is the 208th birthday of literary great Edgar Allan Poe.
What should libertarians think about the Civil War?
January 1, 2017 | Post
Instead of looking for a “side” to champion, we are better served by recognizing that even amid the unbridled horrors of slavery and the devastation of war, there may still be a few who are fighting for something better than their country’s cause.
Rogue One and the Politics of Star Wars
December 29, 2016 | Post
As Tyler Cowen puts it, in many ways “this is the real Star Wars movie that many of you have been waiting for.”
Did the US provoke Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor?
December 7, 2016 | Post
The common American narrative that Japan launched an entirely unprovoked attack on an American territory — and therefore the US was right to respond in self-defense — is a fiction.
Relief from wars & politics
November 10, 2016 | Post
Reports of the world’s demise are greatly exaggerated.
What you missed: Week of 11/4
November 4, 2016 | Post
This week was the home stretch of the 2016 presidential election. Here’s some headlines you may have missed heading into the first weekend of November: The FBI announced that it found emails relating to its investigation of Hillary Clinton on scandal-plagued former Congressman Anthony Weiner’s computer. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series this week […]
Women in the draft: The wrong kind of equality
October 31, 2016 | Post
Equality in slavery is not an admirable goal even among those with the best of intentions.
Yet another comically bad caricature of libertarianism
October 15, 2016 | Post
Another day, another hilariously awful straw man argument against libertarianism.
How Americans Can Use Economic Principles to Fight Terrorism
October 3, 2016 | Post
As professor Anne Bradley shows in this piece, the economic way of thinking can help us prepare for and respond to acts terrorism.
Senate Votes for Equal Slavery for Women
September 9, 2016 | Post
“Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” – Alexis de Tocqueville
The Undesired Outcomes of Nation Building
September 7, 2016 | Post
Why did the United States invade Iraq? The pretense was that Iraq was harboring weapons of mass destruction. Another popular reason, however, was to make the country safe for democracy. The campaign – like so many foreign interventions – was “an abysmal failure,” says Professor Chris Coyne in the new Learn Liberty video below. Over […]
Military Industrial Complex Poses Major Threat to Liberty at Home
July 28, 2016 | Post
Will perpetual U.S. involvement in foreign wars ever end? Not if those who comprise the Military Industrial Complex have anything to say about it. This complex, originally coined by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is defined as the close relationship among military leaders, government legislators, bureaucrats, and private contractors, all of whom have a massive stake […]
Are Foreign and Domestic Policy Really that Different?
July 28, 2016 | Post
Pundits like to talk about foreign and domestic policy as if they are completely separate concerns. But as University of Tampa professor Abby Hall has been explaining in Learn Liberty’s six part series on foreign policy, there is not as much distinction between them as people often think. In fact, foreign policy often boomerangs back […]
72 Years After D-Day, One Professor Asks What It Would Take for You to Fight for Your Liberty
June 10, 2016 | Post
Seventy-two years ago on June 6, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy to push back the fascist occupiers of Europe. Termed “D-Day,” the operation was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Despite more than 10,000 casualties, the mission was considered a military success. Within a year, Allied forces would reach Berlin, where Hitler had […]