Although some writers have argued that imperialism can supply a “public good,” such as the enforcement of a secure property-rights regime, few have examined systematically the many “public bads” that tend to accompany this sort of foreign interventionism. A comprehensive list of the potential social harms associated with empire, nation building, and the like is long overdue.
Christopher J. Coyne is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, and Co-Editor of The Independent Review. He is the author of the new book, In Search of Monsters to Destroy: The Folly of American Empire and the Paths to Peace.
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Steve Davies is the Head of Education at the IEA. Previously he was program officer at the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) at George Mason University in Virginia.
Defense and Foreign Policy
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