The Libertarian Party of Maine stands in full agreement with the Libertarian National Committee’s call for an immediate halt to unconstitutional regime-change operations in Iran. Once again, the American people are witnessing military escalation undertaken without a formal declaration of war from Congress, as required by the Constitution. Regardless of which party occupies the White House, whether under President Donald Trump or any other administration, the principle is the same: the power to declare war belongs to Congress, not the Executive.
For decades, Ron Paul warned that interventionist foreign policy would undermine both American liberty and global stability. He consistently rejected the false choice between endless war and isolationism, arguing instead for a constitutional foreign policy rooted in peace and commerce. As Dr. Paul stated, “A foreign policy of non-intervention would not harm our national security, it would strengthen it.” He also cautioned, “War is never economically beneficial except for those in position to profit from war expenditures.” His message was clear: undeclared wars drain our treasury, expand executive power, erode civil liberties, and entangle us in conflicts that do not serve the American people.
The current escalation follows a familiar and dangerous script. Political figures such as Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, and Benjamin Netanyahu have long advocated for aggressive intervention in the Middle East. Yet decades of regime-change wars have yielded instability, humanitarian crises, inflationary spending, and mounting national debt. Maine families, like families across America, bear these costs, both in the service of their loved ones and in the economic consequences at home.
The philosophical foundation of libertarian non-interventionism runs even deeper. Murray Rothbard, one of the foremost architects of modern libertarian thought, famously warned, “War is the health of the State.” He understood that foreign conflict is the greatest engine of government expansion — empowering bureaucracies, fueling deficit spending, increasing taxation, and justifying surveillance and restrictions on civil liberties. Rothbard also reminded us that “A truly free country cannot be an empire.” The pursuit of empire abroad is incompatible with liberty at home.
The Libertarian Party of Maine reaffirms our unwavering commitment to a foreign policy of restraint, constitutional fidelity, and peaceful engagement. We call on Congress to reclaim its war-making authority and to demand an immediate halt to unauthorized military escalation. Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations are not naïve ideals, they are the durable principles of a free republic.
Now is the time to return to those principles, defend the Constitution, and reject the failed doctrine of perpetual war.