The Indian Army is much in the news these days - first, over some corruption and all that (nothing new, considering Bofors); and second, more interesting, about some "coup" kind of shindig.
Got me thinking about the classical liberals - and why they considered a "standing army" to be a great evil.
First, it costs the taxpayer lots to maintain such an army during "peacetime."
The 30-year old "Siachen War" costs a lot of money; lots of soldiers and officers get screwed on that frozen wasteland worth zilch in terms of "real estate value"; and there is no "national security" involved because the Karakoram Highway from Azad Kashmir to China has been operational for long. This "war" is just what public choice theorists call "budget maximisation." Quite like all the US military bases all over the world.
The 30-year old "Siachen War" costs a lot of money; lots of soldiers and officers get screwed on that frozen wasteland worth zilch in terms of "real estate value"; and there is no "national security" involved because the Karakoram Highway from Azad Kashmir to China has been operational for long. This "war" is just what public choice theorists call "budget maximisation." Quite like all the US military bases all over the world.
Remember, to these classical liberals, the ONLY PURPOSE of a "civil government" is PEACE: both internal as well as external.
Further, "political economy," to them, meant but the maintenance of this civil government at least cost to the taxpayer.
Most importantly, then, the ACHIEVEMENT of such a civil government to the citizenry that paid these taxes willingly was Protection of Life and Property - and, of course, LIBERTY.
The LIBERTY to engage in TRADES - both internal as well as external.
The word "liberal" is rooted in the word LIBERTY.
A "standing army" in times of peace was also looked upon as a great evil because the rulers could always use it against the citizenry. The photo above is from Manipur. And the situation is not much better in Kashmir. The Army brass always objects to the repeal of the obnoxious Act of Parliament that gives the Indian Army extraordinary powers in these provinces.
Everyone loves power, what?
Today, India is the world's biggest arms importer!
In the meanwhile, the real enemy is within.
10,000 Indians die on our unsafe streets and highways every single day.
We have neither Liberty nor Property - and our lives are unsafe.
Besides, as I have been witnessing in Nude Elly itself for decades, the petty bureaucracy are nothing but predatory - especially on street hawkers and vendors.
Anyway, "military government" is NOT "civil government."
Nor is "socialist government" the same as "civil government."
Click on the "label" Civil Government on the right-hand bar to read more on what this elusive thing is all about.
There is also my old book Natural Order: Essays Exploring Civil Government & the Rule of Law, available as a free download from the right-hand bar. This was written in 2007 - some five years ago.
I have just about completed a little booklet distilling my latest thoughts on these matters. It is titled For Civilisation, Against Politics: Arguments for an Intellectual-Moral Revolution.
It will be online in a few days - so stay tuned.
1 comment:
Great. It's always a pleasure to read your books.
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