In his new book, Paul C. Graham describes the 1789 Constitution as an attempted coup by the nationalists to consolidate power in the national capitol. At the constitutional convention Alexander Hamilton proposed a permanent president who would appoint all governors.
Expanding mass support for socialism in the 1890s put a rude end to the optimism of laissez-faire liberals. Many saw that the twentieth century would put an end to the great civilization that had been the product of nineteenth-century liberalism.
Walter Block and Alan Futerman assert that “to be anti-Zionist is to be against the entire concept of private property” and "is tantamount to denying the basic rights of private property in a broad sense."
For close to eighty years, Argentina has been the world's poster child for reckless and spendthrift government. Today, the world watches it for a very different reason: Rothbardian reforms.
We don't think of Serbia as a “free” country, but there were movements toward limited government in the past. Unfortunately, the events of the twentieth century overwhelmed the freedom movements there.
Opponents of secession use a moral doctrine which justifies regimes' denial of the right of self-determination. These de facto colonialists tell us separatists are too backward and immoral to be allowed to govern themselves.
As the recent election of Javier Milei in Argentina shows us, there still is a place in the political world for libertarian thinking. Liberty is a goal still worth pursuing.
What is different about the US's empire is that it has been fabulously successful. It is so successful, in fact, that the territories that used to be obvious colonies have ceased to have any distinct political identity.
The utmost importance of property rights for human dignity and prosperity cannot be overestimated. Unfortunately, it is still far from being understood by the majority of people.
The arguments of open-borders advocates may be applicable in some corners of the developed world. However, for small countries next to larger ones, open borders bring serious geopolitical consequences.
