Reinventing liberalism for the 21st century

IN SEPTEMBER 1843 James Wilson, a hatmaker from Scotland, founded this newspaper the Economist. His purpose was simple: to champion free trade, free markets and limited government. They were the central principles of a new political philosophy to which Wilson adhered and to which The Economisthas been committed ever since. That cause was liberalism.

Today liberalism is a broad faith—far broader than it was to Wilson. It has economic, political and moral components on which different proponents put different weights. With this breadth comes confusion. Many Americans associate the term with a left-wing belief in big government; in France it is seen as akin to free-market fundamentalism. But whatever version you choose, liberalism is under attack.    Read on...

Mario Vargas Llosa: Confessions d'un libéral

Point de vue. En Europe et en Amérique latine, assumer son libéralisme est source de raillerie. L'écrivain Mario Vargas Llosa ose le revendiquer.

Afin d'expliquer ma position politique, je crains qu'il ne suffise pas de dire que je suis un libéral. Le terme lui-même suscite une première complication. Selon la personne qui l'utilise et l'endroit où elle le prononce, le mot « libéral » revêt des significations différentes.