Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for President, supposedly made a political mistake when he couldn’t name any foreign political leaders that he admires.
If his inability to produce a list of names was the result of being clueless about world affairs, then I suppose he can be legitimately criticized. But what if he couldn’t name an admirable foreign leader because, well, there aren’t any?
I pay reasonably close attention to global economic developments (hence the name of this blog), and I can’t pick out a single foreign head of state who deserves strong praise.
Even after a couple of days of contemplation, I don’t have any strong candidates. If you put a gun to my head, I suppose I might mention John Key, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, or Bibi Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. Both have implemented some market-oriented reforms, though not the bold and dramatic reforms needed to make me a huge fan.
But if we broaden the search to include former foreign leaders (limited to those who are still alive), then I have two people who belong on the list.
Mart Laar – The former Prime Minister of Estonia is an immensely admirable human being. He deserves to be at the top of the list not only because of the free-market reforms he implemented (such as tax reform and free trade) after taking office, but also because of his immense courage to be a public leader in the campaign for democracy, freedom, and human rights when Estonia was still part of the Soviet Union. There was a very significant risk that his behavior could have resulted in being sent to Siberia, or even summary execution.
Kaspar Villiger – He served as President of Switzerland, Vice President of the country, a member of the Swiss Federal Council, Minister of Finance, and Minister of the Military, and the country during his time in office experienced plenty of prosperity and stability. But what makes him most admirable is that he is the official who deserves the most credit for Switzerland’s very successful spending cap, known as the Debt Brake.
I’m certainly willing to admit that there may be other people who should be included. Peru, for instance, has enjoyed substantial economic liberalization in recent decades. Is there a former President or Prime Minister who deserves the credit? Perhaps, but I simply don’t know. And Lithuania and Latvia have implemented a lot of reforms. Is there a public official in those nations that played a big role, just like Mart Laar in Estonia? Perhaps, but again I confess to being inadequately informed.
Since two names are not enough, let’s broaden the list to also consider former policy makers in other nations who had cabinet-level posts.
Jose Piñera – The former Secretary of Labor and Social Security in Chile, Jose helped implement many market-oriented reforms. He’s most famous for the system of personal retirement accounts that are now seen as a role model all over the world, but he also guided the privatization of the mining industry. Some say that his legacy is tarnished because his reforms were implemented while Chile was ruled by General Augusto Pinochet, but critics should note that Jose was the one who re-legalized labor unions and recognize that he was a strong fighter for political liberalization as well as economic liberalization.
Roger Douglas and Ruth Richardson of New Zealand – I wrote just recently about the overlooked success story of New Zealand. Much of the credit goes to Douglas, the Finance Minister of a Labour Party government from 1984 to 1988, and Ruth Richardson, the Finance Minister of a National Party government from 1990 to 1993. Douglas started the process of economic liberalization and pushed for big tax-rate reductions (his proposals for a flat tax unfortunately never made it across the finish line). Richardson is most famous (or infamous to statists) for imposing strict spending discipline.
Ivan Mikloš – A former Finance Minister of Slovakia, Ivan oversaw the introduction of both a flat tax and personal retirement accounts, policies that helped contribute to rapid growth and the nation becoming known as the Tatra Tiger.
Once again, I’ll freely acknowledge that there are other people around the world who presumably deserve to be on this list. Feel free to mention them in the comments section.
I’ll close by adding an “honorable mention” section.
Stephen Harper and Paul Martin – These two former Canadian Prime Ministers are not libertarian firebrands, but you can’t argue with their nation’s success. Canada is now tied for 5th among all nations for economic freedom, in part because of spending restraint, corporate tax reforms, and other market-friendly policies.
Paul Keating – Another non-libertarian, this former Australian Prime Minister gets a nod because of the big role he played in creating his nation’s private social security system.
So if Gary Johnson is asked again about foreign leaders he admires, I hope this column will be a useful cheat sheet.
[…] is inspiring. A world leader that even Gary Johnson can […]
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[…] Johnson, the Libertarian presidential candidate back in 2016, got in trouble because he (quite understandably) could not name an admirable world […]
[…] That’s true nationally (with limited exceptions), and it’s true internationally (with limited exceptions). […]
[…] That’s true nationally (with limited exceptions), and it’s true internationally (with limited exceptions). […]
[…] That’s true nationally (with limited exceptions), and it’s true internationally (with limited exceptions). […]
[…] is a success story, so I’m glad Richard discussed Mart Laar (one of the few admirable politicians in the […]
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[…] There are even a few admirable politicians, though that’s a very limited list. […]
[…] There are even a few admirable politicians, though that’s a very limited list. […]
[…] leaders. I defended him by pointing out that there are not any obvious choices in office today, but I did mention that Roger Douglas and Ruth Richardson – both prominently featured in the above video – […]
Vaclav Klaus, B. Netanyahu
The context leaves no doubt that not only he was clueless, he knew and admitted it. He said, “I’m having another Aleppo moment”.
I admire Netanyahu… he will do whatever is necessary to defend his country and it’s citizens… and he will work to support American positions whenever it does not put Israeli interests at a disadvantage… I admire Vladimir Putin… and Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov their ability to shape events to their advantage on the world stage is beyond formidable… particularly when compared to the feckless wanderings of the less gifted… I admire the president of China… Xi Jinping… his government working in conjunction with other world powers has established it’s self as the second largest economy on the planet… Xi Jinping is overseeing China’s emergence as world superpower… no small task…
it is not necessary to like these foreign leaders… but I think it would be wise to respect their abilities to influence the world in which we live…
My initial list also included Netanyahu and the leaders of New Zealand and Estonia, however, I could not come up with the names Key and Laar.
I realized that politicians I admire should be those that voluntarily give up power, but when they give up power, they lose status as “world leaders”.
A true Libertarian President would probably not be remembered as “Being Great”, because he wouldn’t actually do anything in the traditional sense; but in fact he would be great because he left the doing to the private sector.
Reblogged this on LiberteKev's Blog.
There also seems to be the Uruguay president, Pepe Mujica. From what I hear anyways, he’s an ex-socialist/communist revolutionary from the days of Castro/Guevara who has turned towards promoting the free market.
[…] Mitchell tries to come up with a list of admirable national leaders. Not much at present, although our neighbour Keys gets a half-hearted mention. He really likes a […]
Maybe Georgia’s Mikheil Saakashvili, who practically abolished all labor regulation, privatized almost all state services, and fired all corrupt bureaucrats and policemen.
We cover EU news, thus are familiar with some few good names.
Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, a member of Parliament who lives under police protection for his outspoken views re borders and sovereignty and the dangers that hostile immigration has caused his country. He is currently in the midst of his third kangaroo trial by those in power; is considered by many to be a man of integrity and foresight.
Here is his opening speech at the latest trial:
http://bit.ly/2diJXvk
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Viktor Orban, Hungary: he’s being demonized by the EU for his decision to hold a referendum on the question of migration. The only way the EU can defeat it is if they can convince enough people to stay home and not vote. The referendum is only valid, whether it be for or against, if at least 50% of voters turn out.
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Czech President Miloš Zeman is another. As is his predecessor, Václav Klaus.
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Marine Le Pen in France has been unfairly painted with an anti-Semite brush because of her father’s views, which she has long abjured. She is a populist, plain and simple. With the breakdown of civil order in France, more French people are turning to her ideas.
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An unelected but much beloved moral leader is Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. She has a dry sense of humor and can be quite outspoken, especially on subjects like “multiculturalism”.
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A very small list. But then democracy has become increasingly totalitarian since WWII. Whatever new forms will develop in what Peter Drucker foretold would be a “post-capitalist” world (no, it will NOT be marxist), they are sure to be a grab bag of ideas vying for domination. Given the rapid rate at which technology changes our level of information, the transformation may be far less destabilizing than out-moded ideologues like Obama had hoped.
How could you forget Nigel Farage?
[…] comes via "A (Sadly Short) List of Admirable Foreign Leaders" at Dan Mitchell’s International Liberty blog. There are some good choices on his […]
Vaclav Havel? Ralph Klein (Alberta Province)?
I’m not sure if the mayor of Johannesburg South Africa can “count” as a world leader, but he seems to be ok, if only because of the panties he’s knotted by existing as a black dude who’s a libertarian.