Sheldon Richman | The Libertarian Institute

TGIF: NATO and Collective Insecurity

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 22, 2022 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman

Collective security, the official goal of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, seems plausible on its face. A group of nations ostensibly concerned about a common threat agree to defend one another in the event of an attack. "All for one and one for all," as the Three Musketeers said. But like many things, the principle, even if sincerely invoked, is more problematic than the first glance indicates. This is particularly true with governments, and in no area more so than foreign policy and armed forces. Schoolyard analogies involving bullies do not hold. NATO was established soon...

TGIF: Shades of Gray in the Russia-Ukraine War

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 15, 2022 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

If you're looking for morality tales — clashes between the clearly good and the clearly bad — I suggest you look elsewhere than to the geopolitical theater. There we find only conflicts between shades of darker gray. This seems to have been the case throughout history. Empires and would-be empires vied with rival empires and would-be empires for territory, resources, taxpayers, and soldiers. No surprise: governments will be governments, and that's not good. This is not to say the shades of gray did not differ at all, perhaps even significantly on occasion, but the objective was always, first...

TGIF: In Defense of Ideology

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 8, 2022 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, TGIF

The seemingly unprecedented mean-spiritedness of politics these days drives some people to think that ideology is the problem. To distinguish themselves from those whom they blame for the toxic atmosphere, some pundits declare themselves "above ideology," even anti-ideology. In effect they say, self-righteously: "In contrast to those 'extremists' (that is, the ideologues) I judge each issue case by case by its own merits. I'm a pragmatist." This is intended to display open-mindedness and a willingness to cooperate with those they disagree with. Cooperation is held to be a virtuous end in...

TGIF: Joe Biden, What the Hell?

by Sheldon Richman | Apr 1, 2022 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

What's going on with Joe Biden? Is he oblivious to the fact that Russia has about as many strategic nuclear weapons as the United States has? Is he taking advice from the neocons, who apparently believe that we should not fear a nuclear holocaust because that's exactly what Vladimir Putin wants us to do? (I presume Putin also wants us to believe that the earth is round. Should we give that up too?) How else to explain Biden's astounding statements in recent days, particularly while meeting with NATO representatives in Brussels and with U.S. troops in Poland? That's right: 9,000 U.S. troops...

US Troops to Ukraine?

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 29, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

Is Joe Biden set to deploy U.S. troops to Ukraine? Watch him address the troops near the Ukrainian border in Poland (1:35) and listen for the words "you're gonna see when you're there."

Biden Puts His Foot in It Again

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 28, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

People like Joe Biden never learn from history and never think long-term. It's the double whammy. By declaring that Vladimir Putin must not remain in power, Biden has incentivized Putin to stand firm lest he end up like Saddam Hussein or Muammar Qaddafi -- that is, dead. The lesson goes back at least to World War II, when the Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of Germany and Japan. Historians and commentators have criticized that policy for perhaps prolonging the war by discouraging internal attempts to overthrow the government.

TGIF: Our Age of Character Assassination

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 25, 2022 | Featured Articles, Justice, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

I am not one for romanticizing the past because in every alleged golden age you find grumblers looking longingly to some earlier alleged golden age. Nevertheless, our own time has earned its share of criticism. For example, we live in a time when, for many, character assassination is the preferred way to rebut the people they disagree with. Why bother to painstakingly refute positions you dislike when instead you can accuse their advocates of one vice or another? It's not only easier; it's also a twofer: you (seem to) discredit the position and you perhaps ruin its advocate. So if he speaks...