What army of free-market mercenaries could seriously hope to drive the modern US Armed Forces, augmented by a draft, to capitulation? Perhaps more relevantly, what army of free-market mercenaries could overcome the fanatical, disciplined mass of barbarians?
What I’m inferring from your comment is that a rational society could defend itself using market mechanisms, not central organization, if the need ever arose. Those mechanisms of the market might do well in supplying soldiers to meet a demand for defense, but I’m skeptical of the ability of the blind market to plan a grand strategy or defeat the enemy in battle. It’s also very difficult to take one’s business elsewhere when you’re hiring men with guns to stop an existential threat and they don’t do a good job of it. In order to defend a society, first there must be understanding that there is a society and that it’s worth defending.
Those mechanisms of the market might do well in supplying soldiers to meet a demand for defense, but I’m skeptical of the ability of the blind market to plan a grand strategy or defeat the enemy in battle.
Plenty of private corporations seem to do quite well at grand strategy and defeating enemies in market competition. It doesn’t seem a huge stretch to imagine them achieving similar success in battle. Much of military success comes down to logistics and I think a reasonable case can be made that private corporations already demonstrate greater competence in that area than most government enterprises.
What army of free-market mercenaries could seriously hope to drive the modern US Armed Forces, augmented by a draft, to capitulation? Perhaps more relevantly, what army of free-market mercenaries could overcome the fanatical, disciplined mass of barbarians?
What army of free-market mercenaries could seriously hope to drive the modern US Armed Forces, augmented by a draft, to capitulation? Perhaps more relevantly, what army of free-market mercenaries could overcome the fanatical, disciplined mass of barbarians?
What I’m inferring from your comment is that a rational society could defend itself using market mechanisms, not central organization, if the need ever arose. Those mechanisms of the market might do well in supplying soldiers to meet a demand for defense, but I’m skeptical of the ability of the blind market to plan a grand strategy or defeat the enemy in battle. It’s also very difficult to take one’s business elsewhere when you’re hiring men with guns to stop an existential threat and they don’t do a good job of it. In order to defend a society, first there must be understanding that there is a society and that it’s worth defending.
Plenty of private corporations seem to do quite well at grand strategy and defeating enemies in market competition. It doesn’t seem a huge stretch to imagine them achieving similar success in battle. Much of military success comes down to logistics and I think a reasonable case can be made that private corporations already demonstrate greater competence in that area than most government enterprises.
Big ones.