With the advent of representative democracy over a century ago in most of the West, the popular belief was that the “rule of the few” would be relegated to the dustbin of history. This never happened, of course, as has become clearer to the “many” over the decades. Indeed, the ruling Western oligarchy has become more visible than before, too brazen in its attempts to ram through its globalist agenda on the world.The illusion of representative democracy has also been fading as social and economic conditions in the West worsen. On the one hand, monetary and immigration policies that have been implemented over the long term, and without democratic legitimacy, are affecting the very fabric of Western societies. On the other hand, the democratic process itself has contributed to the growth of

What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

It is not often admitted, but it is nevertheless the case, that the people can be never successfully represented politically. However, public opinion influences politics, at times even strongly. In all political systems, the ruling minority must take into account, to varying degrees, the public mood as expressed in town halls, polls, elections, demonstrations, and now, social media.The most stable and popular government is, therefore, not necessarily the most “democratic” one, but the one that best considers public opinion and adjusts its policies to it when needed. The unpopularity and political instability of most Western governments today is partly explained by the fact that public opinion has been ever-more disregarded by the ruling minority, while elections have turned into

What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

As has often been noted, “majority rule” in the political sense does not exist in the way it is presented by the dominant institutions of Western so-called “democracies.” The Western public’s resistance to criticism of “democracy” is, therefore, remarkable.The staying power of representative democracy in the West can be explained as follows: Firstly, democracy is widely but uncritically seen as a progressive and enlightened political system that replaced monarchies, typically portrayed as retrograde and repressive. Secondly, despite the difficulty of “majority rule,” democracy can play a role of channeling public opinion in a politicized society. These two points are explained below.Democracy as a Questionable Improvement to MonarchyThe dominant storyline is one that sees democracy as a

In these politically turbulent times, the “illusion of democracy is fading worldwide” as one pundit wrote recently. There is a growing sense in the West that “democracy” is not working well, but there is not yet a full and clear recognition of that fact. Michel Maffesoli, honorary professor at the Sorbonne in Paris, has been saying already for several years, that “the end of the democratic ideal is manifesting itself.” Signs of this can be seen in the problematic elections that have taken place in his native France and other Western countries. The “ideal” or “illusion” of democracy comes from widespread misconceptions about this political system, despite clear misgivings from the most illustrious political thinkers of the past. The most important misconceptions about democracy are that

What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

Julian Assange’s heroic but tragic life has taken an unexpected turn for the better with his recent liberation through a plea deal with the US government. It must never be forgotten that the Wikileaks founder was a successful publisher and a prized journalist, and yet was at risk of being extradited to the United States to be charged with espionage and imprisoned for life. Though many people around the world have followed Assange’s hardships on and off for more than a decade, the many acts of his sham trial in London highlighted the importance of the struggle for political freedom.In the widest sense, political freedom can be defined as freedom from state coercion. Granted the existence of a state, however small, political freedom is therefore never complete. Yet, the state can never be

A quite-revealing speech about the future of the European Union was given in Brussels on April 16, 2024 by Mario Draghi, who at one time had been slated to become the next president of the EU Commission, replacing scandal-ridden Ursula von der Leyen, who recently was confirmed for another term. Draghi, the former Italian prime minister and former head of the European Central Bank, gave policy recommendations for the future directly to members of the EU Commission. In light of this year’s elections to the EU parliament, the content of this speech should be exposed because it epitomizes so much of what is wrong today with the political direction of the European Union.The speech was called “Radical Change—Is What Is Needed,” an understandable title considering the dismal path the EU

It should not have escaped the politically aware that the threats to freedom in Western societies are now unprecedented. This goes far beyond the interventionist pressures that over time have been slowly throttling most Western economies. The Western oligarchic elite are now dead set on implementing what one influential blogger described as “a society hermetically sealed against any form of rebellion, dissidence, or questioning of the ruling class-imposed power structure.”This state of affairs is serious enough that it has been slowly dawning on parts of the “uninformed and disorganized majority,” to use Gaetano Mosca’s expression. It has happened in a large part thanks to the abundance of uncensored information and unbiased analysis on the internet that has accelerated the loss

What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

Though the Western political class constantly criticizes the “authoritarian” nature of certain nations, one should sweep in front of his own door first, to paraphrase Johann von Goethe. Indeed, Western nation-states and international institutions have for years been gnawing at the freedom and rights of both individuals and businesses.

Though the Western political class constantly criticizes the “authoritarian” nature of certain nations, one should sweep in front of his own door first, to paraphrase Johann von Goethe. Indeed, Western nation-states and international institutions have for years been gnawing at the freedom and rights of both individuals and businesses.First, the exorbitant fiscal and inflationary pressures on Western populations should never be considered “normal” or “acceptable”; they are severe violations of property rights in and of themselves. These pressures alone help to explain the economic stagnation and political decadence of Western societies. Additionally, previously unthinkable powers have been given to Western police and security forces, many of them now permanent. Wikileaks and others have

The Western ruling elite has become oligarchic in nature; its political and economic influence is disproportionate and even harmful to society. It is necessary, therefore, to review its historical evolution and expose its current goals.
Firstly, it must be recognized that it is natural and necessary for society to have an elite.

A bedrock of Austrian economic thinking is the notion of causality. A libertarian worldview also requires the understanding of causality.
Original Article: Libertarianism and the Importance of Understanding Causality

Even though support for the free market has become stronger in the last decades, libertarianism can still only be considered a fringe movement. Most people still believe that many social problems are due to “market failure” and therefore require state intervention to be “solved.” Despite the obvious flaws of modern socialism—with its unlikely combination of a redistributive welfare state and globalist crony capitalism—and despite libertarianism’s robust philosophical and empirical foundations, the liberalism of Ludwig von Mises is still far from enjoying the majority support that it so amply deserves.
There are many reasons for this. Of course, media bias and public education prevent the dissemination of the ideas of freedom in society and limit the understanding of the free market.

Modern socialism is based upon state interference in normal human relationships, economic and otherwise. It is as disastrous as the older state-planning model.

Original Article: "Modern Socialism Is Forced Socialization"

My article “The Education of the Modern Socialist” deserves a follow-up. The first part showed that a change has occurred in the definition of “socialism”—a necessary change in view of the failures of this ideology during the last century. Socialism today is based on the ideology of “statism”—the conviction that the state must play a fundamental role in society. Ludwig von Mises’s wider definition of socialism as state intervention implies a modern social state that is involved in most if not all of the activities of society, whether commercial or not.
Unlike under traditional socialism, according to this new definition, very few people are not socialists. There are no political parties, then, that are not socialist, although many would never accept that label. This widespread statism

It’s fitting that the G7 recently met in Hiroshima because the policies they are following are blowing up the world economy.

Original Article: "The G7 in Hiroshima: The Latest Attempt to Impose a Unipolar World"

The last Group of Seven (G7) summit that took place May 19–21, 2023, in Hiroshima deserves attention because it exposes the latest Western attempt to impose its unipolar worldview. But first, a bit of background on the G7.
The G7 is the group of seven nations (USA, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the United Kingdom) that in the ’70s comprised the major industrialized countries of the capitalist world. But because of the enrichment of a large part of the world’s population and the economic stagnation of many Western nations, the situation has changed dramatically. The G7’s share of the world gross domestic product has gone from 70 percent to only 27 percent, contributing just 15 percent of overall growth in 2012–21. Moreover, they now account for only 10 percent of the world’s

Three years after the covid virus hit the world, we are just starting to take a hard look at the damage caused by the covid restrictions. The "experts" not only were wrong; they were scandalously wrong.

Original Article: "Covid-19: Will the Political and Health Scandals Erupt into the Public Light?"
This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon.

Western intellectuals and their political allies are pushing relentlessly toward a unipolar world. Freedom lies in the multipolar direction.

Original Article: "Why Libertarians Should Support the Multipolar World"
This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon.

Finland and Sweden’s recent decision to apply for North Atlantic Treaty Organization membership is a major win for the military alliance, but a far more dubious one for these two countries. NATO badly needs a success at this moment, since neither the economic war on Russia nor the conflict in Ukraine seems to be going the West’s way.

Imposing economic sanctions upon Russia is tantamount to throwing gasoline on a raging fire. The sanctions will not end the Russian invasion of Ukraine and only will make things worse.

Original Article: "The Economic Sanctions against Russia Are Destructive and Counterproductive: We Must Oppose Them"
This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon.

The Western sanctions against Russia seem to shock very few Westerns. Yet, for several reasons, these sanctions should at least be the subject of lively debate in Western societies. Firstly, these sanctions are illegal from the standpoint of international law (only the Security Council can approve economic sanctions, according to article 41 of the Charter of the United Nations).

An economic cataclysm has been unleashed upon the world by Western politicians and bureaucrats. Unbelievably, economic activity in the West has slowed to a creep, as entire populations have been confined to their homes for weeks, if not months. As a result, millions have had their lives turned upside down. Most entrepreneurs and self-employed persons have had their livelihoods jeopardized.