Absolute poverty is an old and universal human problem. Over the past few centuries, the spread of property rights, commerce, capital accumulation, and mass production has produced a dramatic decline in poverty and a steady rise in living standards across much of the world.

Murray Rothbard’s “The Mantle of Science,” is an immensely rich paper, and in what follows, I’m going to discuss a few of the many ideas in it. The key point in the paper is that human beings cannot properly be studied by the methods of the physical sciences, because humans are conscious and engage in choice. This point, which is of course the basis of praxeology, will be familiar to most readers, but many of the arguments Rothbard gives for this thesis are startling.

History repeatedly demonstrates the difficulties faced by large conventional powers confronting decentralized resistance movements. From the American Revolution to Vietnam and Afghanistan, weaker forces have often offset military inferiority through mobility, dispersion, decentralization, local support, and the avoidance of decisive engagements.

Unfortunately, widespread misconceptions about libertarianism and capitalism (the free-market economy) exist throughout the world. Films, literature, mainstream media, and a significant portion of academic intellectuals have played a major role in perpetuating these misconceptions—portraying capitalism as the root cause of wars and attributing the crimes of the U.S.state to capitalism. In this environment, libertarianism is accused of supporting the U.S. state’s policies and its wars, and sympathizing with its imperialism.

It’s no secret that the emerging “New Right” is radically opposed to libertarianism. A glance at their commentators in alternative conservative media, the pronouncements of popular “Anon” accounts, or the recent chorus of prominent voices attacking Massie reveals a growing disdain for libertarian ideas. I’ve personally watched the New Right’s anti-libertarian philosophy refine itself and have long wanted to write a counterargument, only to run into the prohibitive hurdle of their criticisms being largely scattered and unorganized.

The fangs of the U.S. Empire are now being bared against not only the Cuban people but also against the American people. The Empire has issued subpoenas to two American citizens — Medea Benjamin, founder of Code Pink, and Hasan Piker requiring them to provide Empire officials with detailed information about a trip that Benjamin and Piker recently took to Cuba.