Why Ron Paul is Right about Ukraine

To debunk the distortions of warmongers is not to defend tyranny. How should libertarians assess the crisis in Ukraine? Some would have us believe that a true commitment to liberty entails (1) glorifying the “Euromaidan revolution” and the government it installed in...

The Symbiosis of Savagery

War, Terror, and the Ethics of Extinction “Violence begets violence” is a phrase famously used by Martin Luther King, Jr. And the "cycle of violence" is a well-known concept in the study of domestic abuse. In the days following 9/11, Harry Browne applied both to war...

War is the Birth of the State

From the earliest states to the Islamic State There has been some controversy over whether ISIS, or the Islamic State, is truly a state. Even according to the standard definition of “territorial monopoly of force” (which I think is too restrictive anyway), it would be...

Mansons on the Mekong

Yesteryear’s Generation Kill Quick, name this late 1960s serial killer. If you wrongly guessed Charles Manson, you could hardly be blamed, especially since he’s been in the news again recently. As you can see from the picture of the real Manson below, this skinny...

The Real Head-Drilling “Butchers” of Iraq

The most harrowing scene in American Sniper involves an Iraqi character nicknamed "The Butcher" torturing and executing an Iraqi child by taking a power drill to his skull. The scene lends credibility to the narrative of Chris Kyle as basically a hero facing villains....

Tom Cruise’s “Jack Reacher” on the Chris Kyle Type

"There are four types of people who join the military. For some, it’s a family trade. Others are patriots, eager to serve. Next you have those who just need a job. Then there’s the kind who want a legal means of killing other people." - The title character of the 2012...