On Terrorism

The big issue on the international scene in 2001 was of course September 11th. We saw how the US government (the FAA) by disarming the people, set up this terrible tragedy. It illustrates that attempts to seek security using a big government bureaucracy are bound to fail. What free traders advocate is de-centralized decision-making. The matter of what can be carried on an airplane is between the airline and its insurance company. This would not have prevented the attacks necessarily, but it would have decreased the chances of their success. The reason is that political decisions are often based on lies and misconceptions, while market forces create a discipline that results in better, more logical outcomes that are made by experts, and not by politicians (who are experts only at getting elected).

The whole "them and us" mentality (and reality) that exists between the West and the Arab world would also be much less pronounced in a world having free trade and free immigration.

Then there's the adventurism of the West's military establishment, funded as it is by "stolen" tax dollars. Why can't we vote with our dollars for the defence we want to pay for voluntarily?

Finally, the so-called war on drugs helps to finance terrorism by creating a black market in illegal drugs. An end to drug prohibition would cut off this source of funds for terrorists.