we explain anarcho-capitalism, which Javier Milei claims to be

Javier Milei was elected president of Argentina on Sunday. An ultraliberal and anti-system economist, he claims to be an “anarcho-capitalist”.

The new Argentine President Javier Milei, an ultraliberal and anti-system economist, often compared to Donald Trump, describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist”. Behind this somewhat strange label, and these yellow and black colors regularly brandished during his campaign, hides a real economic and philosophical current. Anarcho-capitalism, “anarcap” or “ancap”, is the most liberal of the ultraliberal currents. It draws on the sources of both liberal doctrines and anarchism, even if it is opposed to other left-wing anarchist currents.

The main idea, for anarcho-capitalists, is a rejection of the State, considered illegitimate, and of any form of social contract, to which the principle of the voluntary association of individuals is preferred. Anarcho-capitalism therefore defends a capitalist society without a state. According to the formula of Pierre Lemieux, author of a What do I know? reference on the subject (PUF, 1988), it is “the doctrine that a stateless capitalist society is both economically efficient and morally desirable.”

Privatization of all areas

Where “anarcap” differs from other strands of anarchism is that it defends capitalism and private property. And anarcho-capitalist thinkers oppose any non-voluntary form of wealth distribution. Concretely, anarcho-capitalists advocate the privatization of all areas, including public security services (police, courts, national defense). According to them, regulation provided by the market will always be more effective than that of a government. And still according to them, each human being is the full owner of himself and the fruits of his labor, and the tax is illegitimate.

Anarcho-capitalist thinkers link private property and “full self-ownership”, and defend the right to abortion, suicide, prostitution, donation and sale of organs, etc. On this point, Javier Milei is in favor of a “market solution” concerning organ donation but clearly positions itself against abortion.

A current of the libertarian movement

Anarcho-capitalism was not born with Javier Milei, since it is a current of thought that draws on the classic liberal ideas of John Locke and Adam Smith. Among its contemporary promoters, two figures stand out: Murray Rothbard (1926-1995), author of The Libertarian Manifesto (1973), or even David Friedman, who developed, with others, the idea of ​​a stateless society and established “anarcap” as one of the currents of the libertarian movement. A movement that includes, for example, Elon Musk, one of the first to congratulate Javier Milei on his election.

The anarcho-capitalist banner regularly brandished by Javier Milei and his supporters is often accompanied by another symbol, the Gadsgen Flag: a yellow flag on which we can see a black rattlesnake, with a provocative slogan: “Don’t tread on me” (don’t step on me). A flag that has become an emblem of libertarians and the American alt-right, familiar to the most radical supporters of Donald Trump.

As a wink, Javier Milei’s four dogs are all named after economists and liberal thinkers, Murray, Milton, Robert and Lucas. Murray Rothbard, already mentioned; Milton Friedman, monetarist economist, founder of the “Chicago school” and inspiration for General Pinochet’s economic policy in Chile and promoter of a “dollarization” of the economy; then Robert Lucas, another theoretician of ultraliberal thought.