I’m not a pure libertarian
Unlike Michael Munger, I’m not terribly bothered by my score of 58 out of a possible 160 points on this Libertarian Purity test. First, that score characterizes me as “a medium-core libertarian,” which is pretty much accurate. Second, I’m perfectly comfortable saying no to questions like Should the law itself be privatized? Should the state ...
Unlike Michael Munger, I'm not terribly bothered by my score of 58 out of a possible 160 points on this Libertarian Purity test. First, that score characterizes me as "a medium-core libertarian," which is pretty much accurate. Second, I'm perfectly comfortable saying no to questions like
Unlike Michael Munger, I’m not terribly bothered by my score of 58 out of a possible 160 points on this Libertarian Purity test. First, that score characterizes me as “a medium-core libertarian,” which is pretty much accurate. Second, I’m perfectly comfortable saying no to questions like
Should the law itself be privatized? Should the state be disarmed and its military disbanded? Is it morally permissible to exercise “vigilante justice,” even against government leaders? Should the state be abolished? Would you call yourself an “anarcho-capitalist?”
As I’ve said before, “I’m frequently conflicted between my laissez-faire instincts and my clear-eyed recognition that there is no substitute for nation-states in world politics.” Libertarian theories of international relations have never been able to cope with this fact.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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