Ivan Eland

Ivan Eland is a senior fellow at the Independent Institute and author of Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty.

No War for Oil: US Dependency and the Middle East

The one prominent issue that both American political parties can seemingly agree on is that the U.S. should be less dependent on foreign oil. And Santa Claus has apparently listened and granted their wish. The United States is in the midst of a mini-oil boom, which has reversed, at least temporarily, the country’s increasing dependence … Continue reading “No War for Oil: US Dependency and the Middle East”

Quit Preaching and Lead by Example

After Russia’s parliamentary election, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bluntly advocated “a full investigation of all credible reports of electoral fraud and manipulation.” She then asserted, “The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted.” Needless to say, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was not … Continue reading “Quit Preaching and Lead by Example”

Pro-Business vs. Pro-Market: What’s the Difference?

Many people confuse a “pro-market” orientation with a “pro-business” one. Recent events abroad highlight the stark difference between the two outlooks. Business interests lobbying the U.S. government are sometimes valuable to society and other times harmful. For example, after the 9/11 attacks, opposition to the USA PATRIOT Act — a draconian attack on American civil … Continue reading “Pro-Business vs. Pro-Market: What’s the Difference?”

Moderation in Following the Constitution Is No Virtue

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a victim of torture in the Vietnam War, is considered a moderate on issues relating to “war on terror” detainees. This time he has paired with a moderate Democrat, Carl Levin, chairman of that same committee, to insert in the 2012 … Continue reading “Moderation in Following the Constitution Is No Virtue”

All Hail the Failure of the Supercommittee

The supercommittee of Republicans and Democrats has failed to come up with ways to reduce the federal budget deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. Even though $1.2 trillion dollars seems like a lot, it pales in comparison to the whopping accumulated national debt of $15 trillion, which is dragging the economy into … Continue reading “All Hail the Failure of the Supercommittee”

What Michele Bachmann’s Mount Rushmore Picks Reveal

The cult and power of the American presidency has become so great that the election campaign has become a full-fledged circus that focuses on everything — for example, memory lapses, gaffes, or alleged past sexual harassment — except the potential policies that the candidates would actually promulgate if they ever got elected. True, there are … Continue reading “What Michele Bachmann’s Mount Rushmore Picks Reveal”

Spending Other People’s Money Usually Leads to Bad Results

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that 80 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way their government works and 31 percent are angry about it, an all-time high. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the central problem with government is simple: Government officials spend other people’s resources and not their … Continue reading “Spending Other People’s Money Usually Leads to Bad Results”

Libya Victory Portends Endless Intervention

NATO’s “victory” in Libya has sown many seeds of possible future calamity. But none is fraught with as much danger as providing a new “war on the cheap” model for Western nations that have fallen on hard economic times. Although the very real possibility of civil war, tribal conflict, or an Islamist state in Libya … Continue reading “Libya Victory Portends Endless Intervention”

American Arrogance Accidentally Leads to Good Outcome

The Iraqi government, sensitive to its public’s perception that occupying U.S. forces have run roughshod over the indigenous population, refused to give immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law for any future lawbreaking by the occupier’s soldiers. The United States had made this rather imperial demand and refused to keep troops in Iraq unless it was … Continue reading “American Arrogance Accidentally Leads to Good Outcome”

Another Potential Quagmire on the Horizon

Disregarding American public sentiment — weariness of years of war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya and robust drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia — President Barack Obama is now involving the United States in another potential quagmire, this time in Central Africa. At the urging of humanitarian groups, he is dispatching about 100 U.S. … Continue reading “Another Potential Quagmire on the Horizon”