The origins and arguments of contemporary U.S. right wing libertarian ideology, with particular emphasis on foreign policy

Abstract

This thesis investigates to what extent, and through what intellectual arguments and antecedents, contemporary U.S. right-wing libertarians have fashioned a coherent political ideology, with particular emphasis on foreign policy. It uses a broad definition of political ideology to examine right-wing libertarianism on both a theoretical and an organisational level. "Right-wing libertarians" are defined as those radical groups whose advocacy of either an anarchy or a night-watchman state is derived from individualist and laissez-faire capitalist assumptions. Four initial hypotheses are made and confirmed with qualifications : that the diversity of their views makes for fragile coalitions; that they face a constant struggle to keep themselves distinct from the more orthodox right-wing from which they emerged and to which they still have ties; that much of their political appeal is grounded in their distinctly "American" character; and that Foreign policy issues are at the core of the split between libertarians and conservatives, and also at the centre of much of the factionalism that typifies libertarianism itself. The first chapter discusses arguments in the secondary literature which have portrayed libertarianism as an extreme expression of America's "liberal" tradition and environment. This is followed by an examination of the contributions of laissez -faire capitalism, Social Darwinism and 19th century individualist anarchism to libertarian thought, looking at both some seminal writers and the later libertarians' attempts to incorporate them into a unique reinterpretation of the liberal paradigm. Chapter 2 takes a detailed look at the political philosophy of the major libertarian theorists, including Hospers, Rothbard, David Friedman, Nozick, Band, Machan, Buchanan, Hayek and Milton Friedman. It concludes by assessing different typologies that classify the varieties and delimit the range of libertarian thought. The third chapter discusses libertarian organisations since 1945. This includes the Libertarian Party : its origins, finances, membership and electoral history; tensions within the Party and other libertarian movements over ideology and policy; and the linkages that exist with other political organisations that inform opinion and structure the debate on political issues. An identifiable increase in the popularity of broadly "libertarian" ideas is contrasted with the significant barriers limiting the success of the more ideological Libertarian Party and its affiliated organisations. Chapter 4 highlights issues in the debate between the libertarians and the isolationist, Goldwater, conservative and "New Left" movements respectively. While important affinities are identified, the need to view any such connections within the particular historical context is stressed. The thesis concludes by discussing the marginal role of ideological libertarianism as a political force, and its regressive and oversimplified view of human nature and political power.