Sheldon Richman | The Libertarian Institute

TGIF: When History Begins – Russia, Ukraine & the US

by Sheldon Richman | Mar 4, 2022 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

Contrary to what hypocritical U.S. rulers and their loyal mass media suggest, two propositions can both be -- and indeed are -- true: that Russia has grossly, brutally, and criminally mishandled the situation it has faced with respect to Ukraine, and that the U.S. government since the late 1990s has been entirely responsible for imposing that situation on Russia. If you want the fine details, you can do no better than to watch my Libertarian Institute colleague Scott Horton's excellent cataloging of the irresponsible misdeeds of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald...

Don’t Let the US Foreign Policy Elite Off the Hook

by Sheldon Richman | Feb 27, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

It would be unwise in the extreme to let our horror at Putin's invasion of Ukraine to permit us to forget the many ways in which the U.S. foreign policy establishment for over 20 years set the stage for what's happing now.

Ten Favorite Books

by Sheldon Richman | Feb 25, 2022 | Blog

Keith Knight, host of the Don't Tread on Anyone podcast, interviewed me about ten of my favorite books. Watch it here.

TGIF: On Privilege

by Sheldon Richman | Feb 25, 2022 | Economics, Featured Articles, Justice, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

One of the most abused words in English is privilege. Observe how indiscriminately this word is spoken and written. For example, in some quarters, all straight white men -- without exception -- are said to be privileged, which seems absurd. Practically all we hear about these days is privilege, who has it and who doesn't. Well, not exactly -- because those who are said not to have it are often called "underprivileged." I think it was the late P. T. Bauer, the great free-market development economist, who pointed out how peculiar a word that is. Underprivileged? Wouldn't that mean...

Damn!

by Sheldon Richman | Feb 24, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

Vladimir Putin's invasion and bombing of Ukraine deserve the condemnation of all decent people. Regardless of what has been going on over there, Putin did not have to do it. He had a moral obligation to deal with the issues properly. His actions cannot be excused.

Russia, China, Iran, and the U.S.

by Sheldon Richman | Feb 23, 2022 | Blog, Foreign Policy

At this tense moment it is important to realize that the hardliners on both sides of any geopolitical rivalry are de facto allies. They need each other in their struggles against their domestic pro-diplomacy, antiwar opposition. So when the hardliners ascend on one side, their counterparts on the other side also ascend. If they could, they'd grab a beer together after work.

Why Provoke Putin?

by Sheldon Richman | Feb 22, 2022 | Blog

No one I know who criticizes America's post-Cold War policy toward Russia -- including the U.S. position on Ukraine -- thinks Vladimir Putin is a good guy. Indeed, the case against U.S. bellicosity toward Russia in no way depends on a favorable view of the Russian ruler. On the contrary, it is because Putin is who he is (an aggrieved nationalist) and because of Russia's place in history that the U.S. policy of ignoring, when not belittling, Russia's security concerns is so dangerous. Russia's history -- including multiple invasions from the west -- is what it is, and that huge nuclear power...

TGIF: Licensing the Fringe

by Sheldon Richman | Feb 18, 2022 | Featured Articles, Libertarianism, Politics, Sheldon Richman, TGIF

Big Tech's incredible promise to rid its platforms of "misinformation and disinformation" is not only a chimera that will harm the most gullible, but it is also an unwitting grant of power and credibility to some of the dodgiest elements online. That claim might sound familiar. We opponents of drug prohibition and other anti-vice laws often point out that when the government outlaws a product or service that people want, it does not disappear. It simply moves into the shadows where it will be handled by less-than-honorable people because law-abiding types will be averse to supplying the...