So asks this Reason post, discussing five types of libertarian identified by Tyler Cowen. The five types are:

1. Cato-influenced;
2. Rothbardian anarchism;
3. Mises Institute nationalism;
4. Jeff Friedman and Critical Review; and
5. Hayek libertarianism.

“Cato-influenced” is defined as “orthodox” libertarianism, “defined by the troika of free markets, non-interventionism, and civil liberties.  It is based on individual rights but does not insist on anarchism.  A ruling principle is that libertarians should not endorse state interventions.” Of course, Mises Instituters tend to adhere to these principles (and to be Rothbardians, often anarchists; and not “nationalists”). As Wirkman Virkkala notes:

Cowen apparently desired to carry water in the culture war between George Mason economists and the scholars and enthusiasts associated with the Mises Institute. His characterization of a “Mises Institute Nationalism” borders on bizarre, though I see why he would make the attempt. The fact that so many of these folks are themselves anarchists means that whatever “nationalism” they promote must be a different sort. I took from this short description that Cowen doesn’t like Hans-Herman Hoppe. Yeah, thanks for sharing. This description of a strand of libertarianism is less coherent than the previous.

Look, I’m glad Cato is generally on our side. But the implication that Cato is “orthodox” libertarian, compared to the Mises Institute’s “nationalism” is guffaw-inducing. Of course, no group’s members have perfectly uniform views, but consider the following cases that seem to stray from the troika of basic libertarian principles of free markets, non-interventionism, and civil liberties, where various Catoites:

• have opposed tax cuts;
• don’t want libertarians to advocate the aboliton of all medical licensing because people will think we are “moonbats”;
• think we need inflation to counter irrational exuberance;
• defend the Iraq war (not all of them, thank goodness);
• praise socialist-welfarist John Rawls;
• defend federal surveillance and the “Police America Act”;
• prefer Hamilton to Jefferson;
• are tepid in criticizing state-imposed intellectual property (and many of them support IP);
• support centralized federal supervision of states;
• praise “sensible gun regulations“;
• sought $3.5M in DC taxpayers’ money for reimbursement for helping to foist a national rule on the entire country that redefines the natural right to bear arms as a limited State-conferred privilege, clearing the way for all manner of gun regulations;
• flirt with the idea of carbon taxes;
• support NAFTA’s managed trade system;
• laud Ben Bernanke’s performance as Fed Chairman and distractingly focus on the importance of the “independence” of the Fed;
• want to run the TSA (and see Bob Poole on the TSA);
• opposed Ossetian independence from Russian in the name of “territorial integrity”;
• consort with Russian dictators.

It’s almost a compliment to be called a nationalist by someone who holds up this as the libertarian ideal.

Update: Now they are calling for more inflation.

Update 2: And for the people and the world to show gratitude to the military, the CIA, and the NSA, for killing bin Laden.

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