Based on theory and previous results, three hypotheses are posed:
The direct and indirect tests given here provide strong, positive support for the three hypotheses and thereby for the Joint Freedom and Freedom Propositions, and thus reinforce the conclusion of my Understanding Conflict and War. A necessary condition of violence between two states is that at least one of them be partially or completely nonlibertarian. Or, to turn this around, violence does not occur between libertarian states. Moreover, whether states are considered individually or dyadically, the less free--libertarian--a state, the more violence it engages in.
Contiguity is not an intervening variable: Contiguous or not, libertarian states do not exert violence on each other; and whether having common borders or not, the less freedom in states, the more violence between them.
Whether libertarian is defined by political freedom or freedom, the data are highly supportive of the propositions. However, while economic freedom does not significantly detract from the Joint Freedom Proposition, it is clearly important for the Freedom one. To add economic freedom to civil liberties and political rights is to reduce significantly the level of violence for a state overall, or between particular states. For the Freedom Proposition, the libertarian's (or classical liberal's) faith in the peaceful effects of economic freedom appears" according to these data, well justified.
LIBERTARIANISM AND INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE
- Libertarian states have no violence between themselves.
- The more libertarian two states, the less their mutual violence.
- The more libertarian a state, the less its foreign violence.
The direct and indirect tests given here provide strong, positive support for the three hypotheses and thereby for the Joint Freedom and Freedom Propositions, and thus reinforce the conclusion of my Understanding Conflict and War. A necessary condition of violence between two states is that at least one of them be partially or completely nonlibertarian. Or, to turn this around, violence does not occur between libertarian states. Moreover, whether states are considered individually or dyadically, the less free--libertarian--a state, the more violence it engages in.
Contiguity is not an intervening variable: Contiguous or not, libertarian states do not exert violence on each other; and whether having common borders or not, the less freedom in states, the more violence between them.
Whether libertarian is defined by political freedom or freedom, the data are highly supportive of the propositions. However, while economic freedom does not significantly detract from the Joint Freedom Proposition, it is clearly important for the Freedom one. To add economic freedom to civil liberties and political rights is to reduce significantly the level of violence for a state overall, or between particular states. For the Freedom Proposition, the libertarian's (or classical liberal's) faith in the peaceful effects of economic freedom appears" according to these data, well justified.
LIBERTARIANISM AND INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE