All government wars are unjust

All government wars are unjust

Murray Rothbard, a prominent libertarian thinker and economist, was a staunch critic of government intervention in all aspects of society, including war. He believed that all government wars are unjust, as they violate individual rights and lead to unnecessary destruction and loss of life.

Rothbard argued that governments have a monopoly on the use of force, which they often use to pursue their own interests at the expense of the rights and freedoms of their citizens. In the context of war, this means that governments can wage wars for reasons that are not in the best interests of their people, such as to expand their power, control resources, or maintain their dominance over other nations.

Furthermore, Rothbard believed that government wars are inherently unjust because they are funded through taxation, which is essentially theft. Taxpayers are forced to fund wars that they may not agree with or support, leading to a violation of their individual rights and freedoms. In addition, government wars often result in the destruction of property and loss of life, which further infringes on the rights of individuals.

Rothbard also argued that government wars are unjust because they often lead to unintended consequences, such as the escalation of violence, the spread of conflict to other regions, and the destabilization of entire societies. He believed that wars should only be fought in self-defense, and that individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property from aggression, but that governments should not have the authority to wage wars on behalf of their citizens.