[IMC-Editorial] Iraqis Have No Right to a Dictatorship

[ARI Media]

Dear Editor:

Hoping to see an Islamic theocracy take hold in Iraq, Iran's mullahs are
claiming that Iraqis have "the right to determine what government they
want." But Iraqis have no such right if the government they want is a
dictatorship--religious or secular.

As Ayn Rand explained: "The right of 'the self-determination of nations'
applies only to free societies or to societies seeking to establish
freedom; it does not apply to dictatorships. Just as an individual's
right of free action does not include the 'right' to commit crimes (that
is, to violate the rights of others), so the right of a nation to
determine its own form of government does not include the right to
establish a slave society (that is, to legalize the enslavement of some
men by others). *There is no such thing as 'the right to enslave.'* A
nation *can* do it, just as a man *can* become a criminal--but neither
can do it *by right*."

Sincerely,

David Holcberg
Ayn Rand Institute
Irvine, CA  92606
United States
949-222-6550 ext. 226
davidh at aynrand.org

Please let me know if you decide to publish my letter. Thank you.

If you would like to stop receiving letters from the Ayn Rand Institute,
please reply to this e-mail to let us know.