If you would prefer a more qualified statement, let me offer the following:
Having interracted extensively with a broad swath of libertarians I have observed a haste to condemn U.S. actions and involvement coupled by a lack of knowledge or interest in anybody else involved in the conflict. This leads to statements like “We need to leave Afghanistan so its people can live in peace.” The libertarian making this suggestion seemed wholly unaware of both the prolonged internal struggle that won’t end the moment the U.S. leaves and serious controversy within Afghanistan regarding whether, when, and how the U.S. should leave.
Most tellingly, my post criticizing libertarians for appropriating the banner of pacifism drew outraged responses from libertarians who 1) accused me of hypocrisy, and 2) demanded that I “prove” that there weren’t any libertarians who cared about peace beyond the narrow scope of isolationism. Critically, neither of these moves suggests that I’m wrong in my point—and this is one where it would be extremely easy to prove me wrong … if I’m actually wrong. You could show me the fruits of libertarian peacemaking efforts. You could point to the generous libertarians willing to make sacrifices to pave the way for peace. Really, you could point out anything libertarians do besides call for immediate and unilateral withdrawal, consequences to others be damned. Show me the libertarians working to heal rifts between warring factions or to rebuild war ravaged countries. If it’s happening on any scale, this should be easy to find, shouldn’t it?
What are you going to do for peace? Yes, withdraw from Afghanistan, slash military spending, etc.. But then what? Are libertarians willing to affirmatively promote peace? Or are they just tired of seeing tax money spent on things they don’t like?
squashed is slowly becoming one of my favorite blogs.
Granted, my whole internet existence is me fighting with libertarians.
Something I would love to see: A libertarian who calls for U.S. withdrawal in the Middle East and is actually well-versed in regional politics/issues. It would make my day. I’m not implying there’s a reason for the United States to maintain a presence in the Middle East, I just want to hear a libertarian make a well-informed argument not based in the isolationist principles.
Why does the burden of proof fall on the non-interventionists? You tell us we need to have a reason to not interfere in the internal affairs of any (not just the Middle East) region? Why don’t you give us a reason to intervene? If we have a problem with American lives and resources being used to commit acts of violence against a foreign people that somehow makes us uninformed?
What about 9/11? I think that’s a pretty good reason not to be over there. What about the dozens of terrorists that were recruited a few weeks ago when that soldier went off the wall? What about the hundreds of thousands of innocent lives? You notice we didn’t have an issue with the Middle East until we started messing around over there.
I really can’t wrap my head around how much the left has to contort their worldview in order to remain consistent. War is the central piece of both parties now guys. We can’t abandon the Democratic party just because they’ve turned their back on their anti-war principles. We have to disparage the lowly isolationist rubes who don’t want to spend another dollar or commit another life to these unconstitutional and unjustified conflicts.
I already spend too much time on this damn site, so I’m not going to say much.
Not that I care for the ad hominem, strawman, etc leftist BS, but I’d like to say that I can’t tell what y’all are doing to promote peace, either. I mentored inner-city at-risk middle school girls for two years and have fostered and rehomed 40+ dogs who would otherwise have been killed by the city. I spend a lot of time trying to do right by my fellow human beings and other living things and educating people about constructive charities they can contribute to which actually help alleviate suffering and poverty, rather than perpetuate it.
And I would wager that I know quite a lot more about the intricacies of economic development efforts and the failures of SAPs in West Africa than most leftists know about the entirety of the Middle East. Come at me, Bro.
thecheekylibertarian 