From its earliest decades, the defenders of freedom — known historically as “classical liberals,” “radicals,” and “libertarians,” have sought to reduce and limit the war-making powers of the state. This is an unceasing theme across the ranks of the classical liberals, who come from many different nations and who, by today’s mainstream political standards, would nearly all be considered radical anti-war activists. Below is just a sampling of thoughts from these liberals. Many are well known among our readers, such as Frédéric Bastiat and Herbert Spencer. Others are more obscure today, such as Richard Cobden and Charles Dunoyer, but were influential in their day. Not surprisingly, we find that Ludwig von Mises, as a standard bearer of radical 19th century

Sixteen months ago, in March 2020, we argued for an end to government-imposed shutdowns of businesses, schools, churches, restaurants, and events due to the covid virus:
The shutdown of the American economy by government decree should end. The lasting and far-reaching harms caused by this authoritarian precedent far outweigh those caused by the COVID-19 virus. The American people—individuals, families, businesses—must decide for themselves how and when to reopen society and return to their daily lives.
Our claim was straightforward: government officials are singularly unqualified to consider the tradeoffs, economic and otherwise, behind their blunt and heavy-handed actions. They cannot assess risk for millions of individuals, they cannot decide what activities are