The Non-Aggression Principle

The Government Monopoly on Force

(This is an old essay I wrote for School back when Trump was in his first term.)

War is one of the greatest threats to mankind. It leads to destruction of nations and loss of life on both sides, and to freedoms being taken from the individual. Unfortunately, war is sometimes inevitable. One of the biggest topics of debate when it comes to war is whether we should get involved in foreign affairs or play a neutral and nonpartisan role. It has long been debated whether America should have gotten into Vietnam, and other wars involving foreign affairs. The issue in modern America between democrats and republicans about how foreign affairs should be handled has been debated continuously, and it seemed as if no new solutions would ever arise. However, in the past several years the support for the non-aggression principle has grown. The non-aggression principle strongly supports the importance of individual freedoms of people, nations, and business, the belief is that no acts of violence are justified unless your rights are being violated. This principal was developed to create a clear foreign affairs policy. This idea rose with classical liberalism during the Vietnam war and is now a fundamental part of the Libertarian political party in the United States. Libertarians have found a way to apply this principle not just to foreign affairs, but to economic, political, and social justice issues.

The Non-aggression Principle when applied to foreign affairs is not the same as non-intervention. The Non-Aggression Principle states that the United States should not act aggressively towards any country unless in self-defense of the nation, or an allied nation. This is to ensure that the United States doesn’t get involved with outside wars unless it would be a threat to the country, or neighboring country. This principle also stops America from acting unfairly to other countries through trade and other foreign policies. This principle allows America to defend itself and allies while holding the countries leaders to a moral obligation of not taking advantage or being hostile to other countries. The ideal situation of this principle would see America withdrawing presence from much of the world and only interfering when absolutely necessary. Libertarians and many democrats agree that this would help benefit our country, reducing military spending and saving the lives of soldiers.

The non-aggression principle has been applied to economics and taxation as well. Libertarians believe taxation is equivalent to theft. The justification for this view is taxation is forced upon the individual, therefor they have no choice but to give a percentage of their earning to the government. They believe that since taxation is involuntary, since there are penalties for not paying taxes, that it is theft. Obviously, the United States government couldn’t perform the services it provides today without taxation. Libertarians argue to cut unnecessary government programs and let the private sector take over. When it comes to economics the Non-aggression Principle states that capitalism is the only kind of economy that can allow for the individual trade of goods and knowledge, and the belief is that other structures, such as socialism, don’t allow for individuals rights of free trade to be obtained.

Libertarians have applied the Non-Aggression Principle to social justice issues as well as foreign policy. When applied the principle states that no one should be discriminated against for race, religion, sexual orientation and identity. Libertarians, however, fail when it comes to policies that would enforce these laws. Although, they agree with the antidiscrimination laws the U.S. already have set in place for hiring practices. When it comes to abortion, libertarians are often at a crossroads. Both sides use the non-aggression principle to justify their views on abortion. The argument is that taking an unborn child’s life goes against the nonaggression principle, while the opposing argument is that laws that make abortion illegal break the nonaggression principle by suppressing women’s rights. The deciding factor seems to always come down to how the individual perceives when a life begins. The non-aggression principles take on crime is that a crime has not been committed unless an individual’s rights have been violated, therefor petty crimes such as drug crimes and victimless crimes should be decriminalized.

The Non-aggression Principle has developed from an idea into a philosophy the last fifty years. Libertarians, classical liberals and even some democrats/republicans adhere to this code. Its shift from a stance on foreign policy to everyday life happened when the libertarian party started to grow. Libertarians and classical liberals live by this philosophy. They believe that people should be left alone to do what they please unless they pose a direct threat to another individual. They believe in less drug laws, less government regulation of businesses, more social freedoms (for example the rights for people of the same sex to get married). The non-aggression principle however has been criticized for its lack of policies to prevent verbal aggression like discrimination. The argument says the theory contradicts itself due to the non-aggression principles strong belief in free speech. Ultimately, the non-aggression principal leaves to much room for interpretation, a major reason the libertarian party struggles to hold on to solid beliefs. While the principle may be to open ended to hold up in any form of legal law, it would be extremely beneficial if Americans started practicing some of these values in their own personal lives. The principles social views of not acting aggressive towards any individual or group, and anti-discrimination policies are something America should strive for. “The political party itself may not be big and it may never actually have real political power, but the ideological belief is more real and prominent than ever. Despite this small voter registration number, CNN noted in a 2011 continuing poll that key libertarian indicators increased almost 12% since 1998.” (Uwire text) Many former republicans have switched over to the libertarian party in recent years, showing a growing support for the non-aggression principles values and how they apply to everyday life and politics.