Blogs > Liberty and Power > The Humanitarian Urge is Morphing into Thirst for War

Jul 25, 2006

The Humanitarian Urge is Morphing into Thirst for War




Simon Jenkins says that calls to send troops back into Lebanon beggar belief."We should dispatch the Red Cross, not the aircraft carriers."

He concludes:"Of course something must be done about the agonies suffered by the people of the Middle East. Humanity demands it. I would sail the first Red Cross ship into Beirut harbour. But I would sink the first aircraft carrier."

Go here to read his plea against armed intervention in the Lebanon.


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The Garbageman - 7/25/2006

David,

I agree with what you've said here. The 'maximizing' v. 'absolutist' distinction is not useful. I argues in my own post on the blog that the distinction was between those who know how to maximize liberty and those who don't. But of course that's loaded.

I wanted to ask you: Is there really a significant split amongst libertarian intellectuals? I don't get the feeling that there is. The split seems to be between grassroots/blogger type libertarians. I don't feel that it penetrates to the economics/history/philosophy level.