Neolibertarianism

Neolibertarianism is a political philosophy combining elements of libertarian and neoconservative thought that embraces incrementalism domestically, and a generally interventionist foreign policy based on self-interest and national defense.Fact|date=July 2008

History of neolibertarianism

The first neolibertarians to use the term did so in response to the Iraq war. Jonathan Henke began popularizing the term "Neolibertarian" on the weblog he created, QandO [ [http://www.qando.net QandO - Free Markets, Free People ] ] , along with Dale Franks and Bruce McQuain. Distancing themselves from the generally anti-war response of the Libertarian Party (LP) and the mainstream libertarian movement, Henke and his fellow neolibertarians set out their reasons for supporting a vigorous war on terror and an effort to secure the freedom of Iraqis. Incrementalism in general is a common hallmark of neolibertarians, who tend to avoid over-association with the LP itself. The most obvious neolibertarian instance of taking a practical course to serve a moral goal is the Iraq war, though this is a common approach to many political issues.dubious

To describe neolibertarians, Dale Franks says this: [ [http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=650 http://www.qando.net/ - Neolibertarian ] ]

:When given a set of policy choices,:* The choice that maximizes personal liberty is the best choice.:* The policy choice that offers the least amount of necessary government intervention or regulation is the best choice.:* The policy choice that provides rational, market-based incentives is the best choice.:In foreign policy, neolibertartianism would be characterized by,:* A policy of diplomacy that promotes consensual government and human rights and opposes dictatorship.:* A policy of using US military force solely at the discretion of the US, but only in circumstances where American interests are directly affected.

Putting a different spin on it, the website "Neo-Libertarian" says that neo-libertarianism: [ [http://www.neo-libertarian.com/nlmeans.html What Does Neo-Libertarian Mean? ] ]

:...means making a political commitment to combat the initiation of force and fraud by the most effective and moral route possible; paleo-libertarians deal in words and thoughts, while neo-libertarians commit themselves to expanding freedom from the rhetorical world to the real world. It's the difference between saying something for freedom and doing something for freedom.

:Moreover, it's a commitment to the universality of freedom; just as calling oneself 'The Government' cannot legitimately add to one's natural rights, drawing an invisible line on a map and calling it 'The Border' cannot legitimately subtract from one's natural rights. People in foreign lands have the same natural rights as people in the house next door; neo-libertarianism is about finding the most practical ways to stop infringements against the liberty of those around the globe, including the use of force if necessary, just as we would use local police and courts to stop infringements of liberty next door.

:Put more succinctly: Individuals are the only morally significant unit of political economy. Individuals are imbued with infinite liberties circumscribed only by the rights of others to not be coerced or defrauded. The central right of humanity is the right to resist an aggressor, even if you aren't the victim.

Neolibertarians argue that consensual government alone is not, in and of itself, a solution to extremism. Neolibertarians argue that it is not enough that a government be democratic, but that it also must be classically liberal. As Dale Franks notes:

[Democracy] is a wonderful method for ascertaining what the people want, and selecting leaders to carry out the people's will. It is not, however, in and of itself, a particularly good way of ensuring that what people want "is the right thing".

Libertarian pundit Anthony Gregory criticizes neolibertarians as people who "still believe that the government, which supposedly can’t do anything right, can still wage war correctly." [ [http://www.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gregory23.html Only War Will Prevent War by Anthony Gregory] , LewRockwell.com, August 3, 2004.]

ee also

* Neoconservatism
* Neoliberalism
* Paleoconservatism
* Paleoliberalism
* Paleolibertarianism
* The New Libertarian - Online journal relating to neolibertarianism

External resources

* [http://www.neolibertarian.net/blogs/ Neolibertarian Network]
* [http://www.qando.net The QandO Online Magazine]
* [http://www.neo-libertarian.com Neo-Libertarian]
* [http://www.neolibertarian.net/ The New Libertarian]
* [http://www.qando.net/articles/default.aspx#guide The New Libertarian Magazine]

References