Why The Fight For Freedom Is Global

Interview with Dr. Wolf von Laer: CEO of Students For Liberty

The United States was founded -- and arguably, has flourished -- because of its core values of liberty and freedom.

In today’s political climate, there is general dissatisfaction from both the left and the right sides -- sides that many would claim are statist. In fact, if you were to ask most people what their views on economic and social issues were, they would fall outside of the Left/Right binary. (See my article on the Nolan Chart here and prepare to be surprised by where you fall in the scheme.) Countless examples from the front page point to infringement on basic rights. Students, families, individuals -- they are all taking up the conversation of how to improve our lot. And, in many cases, it is the youth movement that is clamoring to restore those core values for the benefit of our society as a whole.

One group in particular, Students for Liberty, has dedicated itself to the intellectual approach that bore the original libertarianism. As the group’s CEO says, “We live in very polarized times. Our students are trained in effectively communicating the ideas of liberty and practicing emotional intelligence.” Rather than creating greater divide, Students For Liberty are instead embracing difference and collaborating across ideologies with the common goal of a freer society. I sat down with Wolf to learn more about how this group operates and gain insight on today’s political landscape.

Steve Mariotti: What is Students For Liberty?

Wolf von Laer: Students For Liberty is a non-profit organization that trains students to become better advocates of the ideas of liberty. We are pro-liberty students who stand up for economic, individual, and academic freedom. We are active in over 110 countries and have trained over 3,000 students worldwide since 2008. Last year alone, our volunteers organized close to 500 events with more than 28,000 attendees.

Despite the fact that our core is in the U.S., we are truly an international organization. We are represented on all inhabited continents. Every society has its own unique narratives of oppression and liberation.

We value the ideas of liberty and the thinkers behind it: Smith, Tocqueville, Hayek, Buchanan, Ostrom, and many others. We are not affiliated with any party or politician. We value principles, not personality or political expediency.

Most importantly, we are empowering young people to become libertarian leaders on campus today so that they can become tomorrow’s leaders. All of our events are planned, organized, and executed by our student volunteers!

SM: What are the biggest challenges facing liberty worldwide?

WVL: One of the biggest challenges facing liberty worldwide is the rise of statist populism. We see it in the United States, France, Germany, and many other places. It is something especially well-known to our Latin American activists and we should learn from the experiences of individuals in those countries.

In the days of Adam Smith, a central planner who believed he could create utopia was called a "man of system." The man of system is still attractive to many of us today. Why? Fear, in part. There are many things in our world that induce fear, including economic turmoil, terrorism, and people who look different than oneself. This fear is a strong motivator in politics. A strong man or woman who promises to unify citizens against the apparent threat of globalists, deep statists, the media, or any other collective enemy is attractive and powerful. In the mind of the modern “man of system,” government is a hammer and every societal ill is a nail. The view that a single person can wield state power to create heaven on earth is a simple, appealing story. It is also incredibly dangerous, completely false, and all too often repeated throughout history.

SM: What do you think leads to this situation?

WVL: I think one factor is the breakdown of civil discourse. If you think that the “other side” are irredeemable, then mutual understanding and the institutions that deal with disagreement become irrelevant. In the end, everyone ends up wanting to deal with disagreement by using the force of government against the outgroup. Under these conditions, markets will vanish and so will other freedoms. This is something we have seen polluted by populism in many places. I fear that the idea of a big government with a "great leader" is becoming popular in the West once again. The Founding Fathers were painfully aware of this possibility and tried to protect the US accordingly. But I am concerned that the federal government has become so big that it will crush all the checks-and-balances enshrined in the Constitution. Students For Liberty is an essential part of the global fight to preserve and extend freedom to every human being on this planet.

SM: How did you become involved in Students For Liberty?

WVL: I used to be a volunteer myself — starting in 2011. SFL empowered me to do great things that none of my peers did and that I never thought I would be able to do! I raised $50,000 and created our first European training program with dozens of leaders from all around Europe. Later on, I organized a conference with 320 people and led the whole European Students For Liberty movement as the chairperson of its volunteer network.

I want other young people to have the same experience. This is the main reason why I feel that Students For Liberty is a better fit for myself than academia. I want to have impact, I want to be challenged, I want to make it easier for young people to succeed in life.

SM: What excites you the most about SFL’s future?WVL: We have big plans to grow our organization. We want to improve our training, become better at reaching out to Ivy League universities, and increase our presence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). We are also working on a training program that will bring our best volunteers from America and around the world together to train them in fundraising, project management, media appearances, and more. We have incredible individuals in our network who have organized peaceful protests with ten of thousands of participants, defended Uber on national television while quoting the classical-liberal thinker Frederic Bastiat, and organized festivals with pro-liberty messages to over 2,000 attendees. We will bring these people together so that they can learn from one another and share their unique experiences in student organizing.

Ten years ago, there was no student movement for liberty. Now, we have a $4.1 million budget and are active across the entire planet. In the near future, we will have tens of thousands of SFL alumni worldwide who start businesses, found think tanks, become politicians, train as journalists, and much more. They will continue to spread the ideas of liberty and make the world a better place. They will understand what leads to human flourishing: liberty, small government, free trade, decentralization, and the belief that one should trust people to live their own lives as long as they don't harm others. I can already tell you that our leaders have started 18 non-profits, dozens of businesses, and are even CEO's of so-called “unicorn” companies. We also had three of our alumni on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list in academia, policy, and media. This is real, concrete social change we’re talking about! Yes, it takes time. But we are focused on creating long-term value.