Category: Global Politics

A Response to President Trump’s Attack on Iran

Tim McIver Global Politics, Middle East

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.

Preemption Is Not Peace

Jason Mataafa Global Politics, Libertarian Ideas, Middle East

Preemption Is Not Peace: A Theistic Libertarian Critique of Israel’s Strike on Iran

Israel’s recent preemptive strike against Iran represents not just a geopolitical flashpoint, but a fundamental violation of both moral law and classical liberal principles. From a theistic libertarian perspective, especially one informed by Catholic just war doctrine and the non-aggression principle, Israel’s actions must be condemned as unjust, destabilizing, and hypocritical.

The Principle of Non-Aggression and the Just War Tradition

At the core of libertarian ethics lies the non-aggression principle (NAP): the belief that the initiation of force is inherently illegitimate. In parallel, Catholic teaching on just war insists that force can only be used as a last resort, and then only in proportionate self-defense. It must be publicly declared, based on a real and imminent threat, and aimed at peace.

Israel’s strike against Iran, by all available accounts, was not a reaction to an actual attack or imminent aggression. There was no open assault, no bombs falling, no verifiable intelligence of an impending strike against Israeli civilians. Instead, this was a “preventive” act—an assertion that because Iran might develop nuclear weapons, and might one day use them, Israel has the right to strike now. That line of reasoning is dangerously elastic. Any nation could justify almost any act of aggression using such logic.

Catholic just war theory teaches that a just cause must be based on actual aggression, not hypothetical future threats. As Pope John Paul II emphasized, peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of justice. Preemption without transparency and proportionate cause is not justice. It is arrogance.

The Nuclear Double Standard

Since the mid-1990s, Western media outlets and intelligence agencies have repeatedly claimed that Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Each time, the threat has been exaggerated or unsubstantiated. Even the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has consistently noted that while Iran has pursued nuclear capabilities, evidence of weaponization has been sparse or speculative. Crucially, Iran has never issued a credible threat to use nuclear weapons—largely because it does not yet possess them.

Contrast that with Israel: a nation widely acknowledged to possess a clandestine nuclear arsenal that it has never declared, never allowed to be inspected, and quite likely acquired through espionage, including from the United States. This is not speculative; whistleblowers like Mordechai Vanunu and credible reporting have made this an open secret.

From a theistic libertarian view, this hypocrisy undermines moral credibility. You cannot demand that your neighbors disarm while you maintain illegal weapons in the shadows. In the Catholic moral framework, such double standards constitute a sin against justice and truth. It violates the trust that is essential for peace among nations.

The Dangers of Justifying Preemptive War

Israel’s assault on Iran is not an isolated action; it is an extension of its broader military campaign in Gaza, which has already raised serious questions regarding proportionality and civilian harm. The just war doctrine is not a blank check to wage war under the banner of security. It requires a public and reasoned justification, a proportional response, and a sincere pursuit of peace.

None of these conditions have been met.

Indeed, Pope Francis, like Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II before him, has consistently called for de-escalation and dialogue in the Middle East. The Catholic Church does not support wars of preemption, especially when they are driven by nationalist hubris or geopolitical hegemony. Military action may be permissible in self-defense, but not as a means of projecting power or “shaping” regional behavior.

A Call for Moral and Political Accountability

As a libertarian, I reject the idea that state actors should be permitted to engage in acts of violence simply because they enjoy the backing of powerful allies or media consensus. As a Catholic, I reject the notion that we may selectively apply moral standards depending on who commits the act.

Israel’s latest military campaign against Iran should be seen for what it is: an unprovoked act of aggression that violates both natural law and divine justice. It is a breach of the non-aggression principle, and a betrayal of the Catholic doctrine that teaches peace must be built on truth, justice, and the inherent dignity of all people.

Those who value liberty and faith must not remain silent. Preemptive violence is not a path to peace. It is a path to ruin.

Jason Mataafa is a theistic libertarian writer and serves as Treasurer for the Libertarian Party of the Maine. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily represent those of the Libertarian Party of Maine.

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