War and Foreign Policy

In his concluding argument, Molinari envisions a society where security is provided by competing private firms chosen voluntarily by consumers.

Molinari describes the inevitable consequences of monopolized security: rising costs, declining quality, and the use of force against the very citizens the government claims to protect.

Molinari argues that majority rule is no more legitimate than royal absolutism when it violates individual rights.

Molinari distinguishes between society, which arises naturally from voluntary human cooperation, and government, which imposes itself through force.

Molinari describes how coercive control over defense led to the familiar abuses of taxation, war, and the suppression of individual liberty.

Molinari draws a parallel between monopoly and communism, arguing that both represent departures from the principle of free competition.

Molinari frames this choice as the central political question that determines whether a society will be free or oppressed.

Molinari confronts the common objection that security is somehow different from other goods and must be exempted from market provision.

Molinari applies the general principle of free competition directly to the provision of security services.

Molinari argues that the division of labor and voluntary cooperation form the natural basis of social organization.