Jacek Spendel: Libertarian Advocacy

01:22 Liberty International with Jacek Spendel¶

Section Overview: In this section, Timothy Allen interviews Jacek Spendel, president of Liberty International. They discuss the work of Liberty International as well as Jacek's views on libertarianism, travel, free cities, and the future of the free world.¶

Interview with Jacek Spendel¶

• 00:50 Timothy Allen introduces Jacek Spendel.
• 01:22 Discussion on the work of Liberty International begins.
• 01:45 Jacek talks about his background in libertarianism.
• 02:20 The importance of travel for libertarians is discussed.
• 03:10 The concept of Free Cities is introduced.
• 04:05 Jacek shares his optimistic viewpoint on the future of freedom and personal liberty.

02:33 The Concept of Free Cities¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses the concept of Free Cities and how it can be a realisation of the dreams of libertarians.¶

Realising Libertarian Dreams¶

• 02:58 The concept of Free Cities is about advancing individual freedom and prosperity.
• 03:20 Free Cities are autonomous zones where classical liberal formation can exist and deliver outcomes that both the hosting nation and people who move there will be happy with.
• 03:52 One significant aspect of the Free Cities model is the ability to opt in or out. It doesn’t have to be a city, it could be a village but the model was originally conceived as a free private city.
• 04:20 The speaker prefers to use the term "free jurisdictions" instead of "free cities."
• 04:26 Free jurisdictions include tax zones, among other things.

Dubai as an Example¶

• The speaker has a mostly positive opinion on places like Dubai, which he visited recently.

05:35 Dubai's Immigration and Economic Freedom¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about his experience in Dubai and how it is an open place for immigration. He also discusses the economic freedom in Dubai.¶

Dubai's Model of Immigration¶

• 06:02 Dubai has a model of immigration where it is fairly easy to come from all over the world.
• People from different countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh can easily get permits to work in Dubai.
• This model of immigration is far from the classical liberal or libertarian model of other countries.
• The taxes are very low or non-existent depending on the Emirates.

Unusual National Makeup¶

• 06:54 Nationals of United Arab Emirates (UAE) make up only 10% of the population.
• This makeup with immigration and growth influenced the speaker's perspective on Dubai.

Potential for Democracy through Relocation¶

• 07:52 The ability to relocate easily and decide what system works best for you is important for democracy.
• More competition among jurisdictions makes it easier to vote with your feet.
• The speaker does not like some tendencies in European Union where they want to harmonize everything.

Living in Poland¶

• 09:16 The speaker lives in Poland but spends a significant amount of time in the United States.
• His base is in Poland although most of his activities are out of Poland.
• Poland is a safe country with less crime than most European countries. It is still fairly cheap to live there especially if you have dollars or euros.

11:09 Poland's Attitude Towards Freedom and Pandemic Restrictions¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about the attitude of Polish people towards freedom and how it differs from other countries. He also discusses pandemic restrictions in Poland compared to Western European countries.¶

Attitude Towards Freedom¶

• 11:09 The Polish nation is not hostile to the idea of getting richer and living a free life.
• 11:40 Pandemic restrictions were not as hard as in many Western European countries.
• 12:12 There were restrictions, but they were lighter than in most of Western Europe.

Pandemic Restrictions¶

• 12:28 Many types of businesses such as bars, restaurants, and schools were closed for some time.
• 12:59 The government closed all airports except Warsaw Airport for some time.
• 13:33 Airports did not operate for one or one and a half years.
• 13:57 One restriction that was harder than in most of Europe was that the government basically closed all the airports except Warsaw Airport for some time.

14:58 Liberty International: Promoting Ideas of Liberty All Over the World¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about Liberty International, an organisation promoting ideas of liberty all over the world.¶

About Liberty International¶

• 14:58 Liberty International is an old organisation established back in 1969 under a different name.
• 15:30 Their mission is finding and expanding freedom in an unfree world.

16:34 The Mission of Liberty International¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about the mission of Liberty International and its various projects.¶

Liberty International's Projects¶

• 16:51 Liberty International organises the World Conference every year since 1982, which is a big networking event held in different countries.
• 17:23 Project Arizona is a leadership program for young libertarian leaders that focuses on education and volunteering opportunities. It is a six-week-long libertarian boot camp held in Phoenix, Arizona.
• 18:19 Libertarian Solutions is an online program that aligns with their mission to expand economic freedom and financial freedom.

Focus on Individual Freedom¶

• 18:31 Liberty International believes that there are places, institutions, and areas that offer freedom in this world, and they want to bring it closer to people who live in less fortunate countries.
• 18:59 The ability to travel is a big thing for gaining individual freedom. Learning what countries are more preferential towards immigration is crucial.
• 20:00 Liberty International has started working on a migration index research program to identify countries all over the world that have fewer barriers for immigrants who want to come there strictly for economic reasons.

19:28 Tools of Liberty¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about the tools of liberty and how less privileged people can gain freedom.¶

Elements of Free Society¶

• 19:28 Having the ability to travel is one of the most important elements of free society.
• 20:21 The work migration index research program by Liberty International is an example of a tool that can help people identify countries with fewer barriers for immigrants who want to come there strictly for economic reasons.

21:46 Investment Opportunities and Travel Restrictions¶

Section Overview: The speaker discusses investment opportunities and travel restrictions in the context of COVID-19 and government policies.¶

Investment Opportunities¶

• Different people have different investment needs, such as protecting capital or planning for retirement. 21:53
• Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still cool ideas for being freer and happier. 21:53

Travel Restrictions¶

• The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the most restrictive travel measures ever experienced. 22:26
• Governments are limiting our freedoms, including the freedom to travel.22:53
• The Green Movement is pushing for policies that limit travel due to climate change concerns.23:58
• Free markets and businesses work towards less problems with international trade but may struggle with bypassing government restrictions on travel.24:55

Future of Travel¶

• There is concern about whether we are trending towards a freer world or not.22:53
• Geopolitical situations, wars, bad relations between countries, and trade wars could pile up as reasons for further travel restrictions in the future.25:59

26:42 Concerns about Travel and Environmental Movement¶

Section Overview: The speaker expresses concerns about the ability to travel due to restrictions, especially outside of Europe. They ask if Liberty International has any projects related to the environmental movement.¶

• 27:19 While ecological issues are covered at their world conferences, there is no specific program focused on this issue.
• 27:41 The speaker is skeptical about carbon tax as a solution for environmental problems, as politicians often use taxes as an excuse to gather more funds for inefficient operations.

29:13 Digital Nomads and Permanent Tourists¶

Section Overview: The speaker talks about their lifestyle and connections with digital nomads and permanent tourists.¶

• 29:13 The speaker is not a typical digital nomad since they live most of the year in one place with family ties. However, they do travel frequently for work.
• 30:19 The speaker has friends who are digital nomads or permanent tourists, including Kris Kaleta from Freedom and Entrepreneurial Foundation.
• 30:44 A permanent tourist (PT) is someone who spends six months in one country and five months in another without becoming a tax resident.

31:44 Pros and Cons of Digital Nomadism¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses the pros and cons of being a digital nomad.¶

Pros of Digital Nomadism¶

• 32:12 Digital nomads usually have their source of income in a different country than where they live, which makes them more independent from government control.
• 32:37 Having companies in multiple countries can also increase independence from government control.
• 34:22 Being a digital nomad allows for greater personal sovereignty and decision-making power.

Cons of Digital Nomadism¶

• None mentioned in this section.

34:49 Pitfalls of Autonomous Jurisdictions¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses the potential pitfalls of autonomous jurisdictions.¶

Potential Pitfalls¶

• 35:32 The risk of the hosting nation's government taking over or changing the rules if people invest large amounts of money.
• 35:47 The danger that an unstable country offering an autonomous zone may become less stable or change its political leadership, as happened with Hong Kong.

36:41 Autonomous Zones and Free Cities¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses different autonomous tourist jurisdictions and Free Cities. He talks about some examples that are promising and others that are fake. The speaker also mentions the need to investigate each case separately.¶

Examples of Autonomous Zones¶

• 37:20 Liberland is a fake example of an autonomous zone with no jurisdiction or good design.
• 37:47 Honduras has a good project for an autonomous zone, but not everything works well.

Safeguards for Free Cities¶

• 38:04 Governments changing can affect autonomous zones, as seen in Honduras with the ZEDEs law.
• 38:32 International treaties protect against reneging on agreements and stealing property from Prospera becoming an international incident.
• 39:25 Everyone needs to make an effort to put safeguards in place, and Prospera appears to be doing that.

40:03 Envisioning a World of Free Jurisdictions¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses his vision of a world full of different free jurisdictions that flourish like Singapore. He envisions more diverse places with different world views and lifestyles.¶

Different Types of Free Jurisdictions¶

• 40:35 Different places may have different world views; for example, there could be more Islamic versions like Dubai or more progressive versions like Hamburg or Amsterdam.
• 41:11 There could be more Latino-type jurisdictions somewhere in Latin America.
• 41:20 The world would be very diverse in terms of lifestyles and world views, but most of these places would actually be free jurisdictions that flourish.

42:06 The Importance of a Welfare State and Personal Passion¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of personal freedom. They also talk about their passion for their job and the difficulty in imagining taking a sabbatical.¶

The Importance of a Welfare State¶

• 42:29 Examples of places that respect human liberty but have different lifestyles include Singapore, Dubai, and ZEDEs.

Personal Passion¶

• 43:00 The speaker loves their job and would not want to take a sabbatical.
• 43:17 They enjoy influencing individuals with ideas of freedom and seeing growth within their organisation.
• 43:32 Project Arizona is the speaker's favorite project, which they built from scratch through their passion for libertarianism.
• 44:21 Project Arizona is designed as a leadership program for young freedom lovers from all over the world coming to Arizona for internship education volunteering etc libertarian boot camp.

Why Arizona?¶

• 46:15 The speaker chose Arizona because they used to go there quite often in the past when they were in their 20s for internships stuff like that my best friend lived there so I didn't need to care about housing but at some point I had no reason to come back.

47:13 Americans for Prosperity and Success Stories¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about Americans for Prosperity and their work in Arizona. He also mentions some success stories of people who have worked with him.¶

Americans for Prosperity¶

• 47:13 The speaker praises the work of Americans for Prosperity in Arizona.
• 47:13 He notes that they are not well-known but should be because they are changing the state.
• 47:13 The speaker describes their lobbying as very efficient and effective.
• 47:36 He mentions that there are many other organisations doing great things, including libertarians and free market conservatives.

Success Stories¶

• 48:03 The speaker talks about Jorge Galicia from Venezuela, who was a strong freedom fighter when he was a student.
• 48:35 Jorge was part of an illegal political party in Venezuela and was jailed. He needed to hide and eventually sought asylum in America where he is now living and working for various organizations, including the Fund for American Studies.
• 49:06 The speaker mentions another success story.  Yuri is one of the leading opposition leaders in Russia and lives in Vilnius where he is one of the leaders of Free Russia Forum run by chess master Gary Kasparov.

49:20 Dangers of Socialism¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about socialism and its dangers.¶

Socialism¶

• 49:06 The speaker notes that young people in America think socialism is a cool idea where people work less and have money for everything.
• 49:11 He mentions that Jorge Galicia is a survivor of socialism and talks about the dangers of it.
• 49:20 The speaker notes that Yuri Tarekov also talks to people about the dangers of socialism during his tours of US campuses.

50:15 Free Russia Forum¶

Section Overview: In this section, the speaker talks about the Free Russia Forum in Vilnius and his interest in topics related to free rash.¶

Free Rash Forum¶

• 49:42 The speaker mentions that he goes every December to Vilnius for the Free Russia Forum.
• 50:15 He notes that he is interested in these topics and is proud to see his alumnus doing great things to push the agenda of free rash forward.