Anarcho-capitalism

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL

By A.B. Dada
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While I found anarcho-capitalism mostly through self-inquiry (and a lot of reading of every political and apolitical), I also see a significant case for anarcho-capitalism within the Bible (notably the New Testament). I’ve always reminded myself of the verse for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (Matthew 26:52) It has kept me clean of the desire to harm others — with the help of others on this site and in “real life” I have also forsaken the right to self defense within my own home.

I think about this verse when it boils down to the millions of voters who support the idea of war — both offensive war and defensive war. I think about where the penalty is for supporting war, and how that penalty surfaces. I see families torn apart when a family member dies in combat; I see families burdened when differing views of battle occupy the dinner table.

But now it seems there are other unintended consequences of war: sickness. In this case, terrible sickness. According to The Independent, there’s a Superbug brought back by Iraq war casualties¹ This superbug is called A. baumannii or T strain. A. buamannii’s genus is Acinetobacter, and it is known to be a multi-resistant strain that isn’t affected by penicillin, chloramphenicol, and now it is finding resistant to even the drugs of last resort. It can survives on dry surfaces for up to 20 days. Since the start of the Iraq conflict, 300 troops have been diagnosed with A. baumannii, and at least 5 have died from the superbug.

From an anarcho-capitalist perspective, there are few unintended consequences of open and honest trade — both parties meet, they barter and negotiate for one another’s service or goods, and they swap. When they leave the transaction, they either both feel they profited from the transaction, or the transaction doesn’t occur. While there are definitely unintended consequences of free trade (notably that products can fail, or just fail to meet expectations), there are numerous ways to protect ourselves from those problems (insurance, refund policies, etc). When it comes to war, the unintended consequences can fall farther away from the area of conflict than those who support the battling may want or even realize.

Just as we’ve had illnesses in other wars and conflicts harming those within our borders for decades, this war is no different. Thinking that a superbug might really exist AND be finding its way to my area in a conflict that I don’t support (nor can) is frightening to say the least.

If incidences of the superbug grow, I guess many will just not deal with troops, families of troops and friends of troops. And that could be the worst unintended consequence of the conflict.

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