American Right-wing Libertarians: the Opponents of Democracy, Ecology and Ethics

This essay explores the ideology of right-wing libertarian think tanks and legal foundations-a branch of the anti-green movement (which can also be referred to as the anti-environmental movement, contrarianism, or the countermovement against sustainability). Specifically, it examines the beliefs and values, images and symbols, techniques and tactics, and the financial/socio-political connections of right-wing libertarian groups. It also investigates the flaws emerging from the groups' ideological position. The findings demonstrate that right-wing libertarian think tanks and legal foundations have an ethically disputable and incoherent ideological stance. Embedded within their discourse is an interest in securing social, economic and political control at the expense of the common good and environmental welfare. This is an explicit but more often implicit agenda. For instance, they declare themselves as public advocates, even though they represent private, corporate concerns.