Patrick Macfarlane | The Libertarian Institute

Washington Is Gaslighting Us About Taiwan

by Patrick Macfarlane | Aug 25, 2022 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Since Nancy Pelosi’s purposeless diplomatic visit to Taipei on August 2, cross-strait tensions have soared between China and Taiwan. Pelosi’s envoy has effectively reduced U.S.-China relations to its lowest point since at least 1995—when diplomatic efforts between Washington and Taipei instigated a tit-for-tat military standoff between Washington and Beijing. In response to Pelosi’s visit, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched an unprecedented series of military drills in six marine sectors around Taiwan. The drills included anti-submarine and sea assault operations and a simulated...

Josh Rogin, Propagandist Ep. 228

by Patrick Macfarlane | Aug 16, 2022 | Vital Dissent

https://youtu.be/KOfe5385Pjw In this episode, I profile one of this era's most influential neoconservative voices, Josh Rogin. Rogin is a twice weekly columnist at the CIA Washington Post, where he advocates for US interventionism in every possible foreign entanglement. In the second half, I review his recent column, which argues that the US can and should confront both Russia and China at the same time. Episode 228 of the Liberty Weekly Podcast is Brought to you by: LibertyWeekly.club Join my membership and newsletter site! Mises Pieces Merch: Grab your Liberty Weekly merch here. Use code...

Pelosi’s Pickled Provocation Ep. 227

by Patrick Macfarlane | Aug 9, 2022 | Vital Dissent

https://youtu.be/6t0w03HduRI In the last two weeks, I spent a great deal of time covering Nancy Pelosi's reckless diplomatic visit to Taiwan. As a part of my coverage, I made a panel appearance on Around the Empire with JoAnne Leon and was glad to be a guest on It's Too Late with Alan Mosley. I felt like they were both strong appearances, so I am running them this week on the podcast. Episode 227 of the Liberty Weekly Podcast is Brought to you by: LibertyWeekly.club Join my membership and newsletter site! Mises Pieces Merch: Grab your Liberty Weekly merch here. Use code LW10 for 10% off...

Lies, Damned Lies, & War Propaganda ft. Prof CJ Ep. 226

by Patrick Macfarlane | Aug 3, 2022 | Vital Dissent

https://youtu.be/Qp4xpGlxsx8 In this week's episode, I invited Prof. CJ of the Dangerous History Podcast on to talk about Part I of his current podcast series. In Part I, Prof. CJ explores the "massive British propaganda operation in the US that ran from 1914-1917 (during the period of American 'neutrality'), which was a crucial factor in eventually bringing the US into World War I." Although Prof. CJ has produced a number of exhaustive and excellent podcasts about US history, he labels this one as being the "most important Dangerous History Podcast episode" to date. And as the...

Why We Should Study China

by Patrick Macfarlane | Jul 29, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

I would posit that there is no civilization so utterly foreign to Americans than China. Often, American impressions of China are informed by preconceptions, myth, and fear of the other. For the average American, the sum of all knowledge about China is derived from Chinese restaurants and a vague recollection of the Tiananmen Square incident. Something…something…tank man. Oh… and also that the Chinese are dirty communists, that they steal our jobs, sell us crappy products, and are going to take over the world. Little, if any, effort is made to explore the nuance of Chinese...

The Danger of the Fake China Threat ft. Joseph Solis-Mullen Ep. 225

by Patrick Macfarlane | Jul 26, 2022 | Vital Dissent

https://youtu.be/OEcx1yQn6ic This week, I invited Joseph Solis-Mullen on the show to discuss his most recent article published at the Libertarian Institute. The article, entitled "The Fake China Threat and Its Very Real Danger" does an excellent job of demonstrating why China is no threat to the United States. The first half of the episode, Joseph and I walk the listener through the last 180 years of US-Sino relations--a background that is essential for anyone seeking insight into this topic. In the second half, we discuss the inflated China threat. Joseph Solis-Mullen is a political...

Taiwan and Our ‘Feigned Ambiguity’

by Patrick Macfarlane | Jul 26, 2022 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

To observers and experts alike, the United States’ Taiwan policy is as clear as Joe Biden’s dementia babble. That said, Biden’s episodes of word salad have not prevented him from pledging to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion. In fact, since his presidency began, he has promised to do so at least three times. These seemingly definitive statements did not add clarity to U.S. policy–which since 1979 has been described as “strategic ambiguity.” In August 2021, Biden stated that, much like a NATO Article 5 obligation, the U.S. has a “sacred” commitment to defend Taiwan. A few months later, at...

Why Chomsky and Kissinger Agree On Ukraine ft. Laurie Calhoun Ep. 224

by Patrick Macfarlane | Jul 19, 2022 | Vital Dissent

https://youtu.be/HxvQYsAQk3A Laurie Calhoun returns to the show to discuss her article "A MAD Heist" and Chapter 6 (Real Leaders) of her book "War and Delusion." In so doing, we dissect the insanity of the West's Ukraine policy from a critical lens, focusing on the psychology and underlying schools of thought behind each side's policies and how this relates to public reaction to the conflict and its fallout. Episode 224 of the Liberty Weekly Podcast is Brought to you by: LibertyWeekly.club Join my membership and newsletter site! Mises Pieces Merch: Grab your Liberty Weekly merch here....