When ordering from the Cato store, students can enter the code “Smith13″ at check-out to get the book for just $15!

In The System of Liberty, scholar George H. Smith produced an exceptional study and identifies difficult issues that have divided its thinkers. Smith explores natural rights vs. utilitarianism, the role of the state in education, the rights of resistance and revolution, and more.

The concepts of order, justice, rights and freedom have united this diverse political ideology but have also caused conflicts when classical liberals split. The System of Liberty explores these conflicts and what they mean for contemporary liberal and libertarian thought.

The event will take place on June 22 and allow young pro-liberty activists to hear from successful women supporting liberty in their careers. To allow even more women to participate, this year’s summit will be entirely FREE! Already confirmed to speak this year is Veronique de Rugy, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Carrie Conko and Lynne Kiesling. Stay tuned as we continued to announce more speakers for the summit!

Women For Liberty aims to provide a forum for women to self-organize and connect with a strong network of support as they advance to higher ranks in the liberty movement. For more information and to apply to attend check out the main event page.

5 spots–Going Green: Free Market Environmentalism
June 24-27: Seattle, WA – University of Washington

3 spots–Liberty: The Original Trendsetter
June 28-July 1: Seattle, WA – University of Washington

5 spots–The True Costs of War
July 8-11: St. Louis, MO – St. Louis University

To claim a spot in one of these seminars you will need to fill out the Online Application no later than midnight tonight!

Hurry, these spots will fill up fast!

In addition to our annual poker tournament held in New York City, Students For Liberty is pleased to announce SFL’s first ever Las Vegas Charity Poker Tournament, which will be held at FreedomFest 2013. Go all-in for liberty by spending the evening with some of the most prominent movers and shakers of the liberty movement and top student activists. And, with over $6,000 in prize money, there’s a chance you’ll win a pile of cash!

Thank you to the evening’s Host Committee for making this event possible:

• John Allison
• Grover Norquist
• Mark Skousen
• Doug Casey
• Charles Murray

Proceeds from the event will support Students For Liberty, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting pro-liberty students around the world.

When: Friday, July 12, 2013
Where: Roman Ballroom of Caesar’s Palace, 3570 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas
Why: Support the future leaders of liberty!
Learn More: Click Here
Register: Click Here

You may also register by mail by sending a  check to Students For Liberty, 1101 17th St., NW, Suite 801, Washington, D.C. 20036. For more information, please contact Joe Coon at jcoon@studentsforliberty.org

OSLO — For three days in the chilly capital of Norway, activists, human rights crusaders, and opinion makers from across the globe convened to discuss the state of human freedom in the world today. The event was about documenting tragedies, removing the stigma of victimization and offering solutions to counter repressive regimes and governments. These individuals met from May 13-15 at the 5th annual Oslo Freedom Forum, in the same city where the first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded nearly 112 years ago.

The Freedom Forum was first conceived by Thor Halvorsseen, a young Venezuelan activist who founded the Human Rights Foundation. At the opening press conference, Halvorssen summed up the case for the Freedom Forum in just a few words. “We can no longer solely rely on governments to protect human rights,” said Halvorssen. “We must bring that message to all those to seek to oppress and limit freedom.” True to this message was the theme of the 2013 conference: “Challenging Power.” Members of Students For Liberty’s European and International Executive Board were on hand to engage with true freedom fighters and advocates for liberty, who strived even in the face of violence and tyrannical rule.

Speakers from Tibet, Bahrain, Syria, Cuba and more gathered to tell their stories about fighting for freedom.

The first inspirational speaker to address the audience was Chen Guangcheng, the self-taught legal worker who was forced to seek asylum in the U.S. embassy after Chinese authorities imprisoned him for filing lawsuits challenging the one-child policy and upholding the land rights of poor, rural farmers. “China will undergo a transformation, and we must turn our attention from Communist party officials to the people,” said Guangcheng. “People are the true actors in the life of a nation and society.” His inspirational message awoke many in the audience to the growing demand for democracy and self-rule in China, which Guangcheng sees as both inevitable and necessary.

Liberty in North Korea President Hannah Song exposed the rising black market in the most totalitarian state on Earth, a hopeful alternative for the economically deprived half of the Korean peninsula. “The markets in North Korea did what the government could never do: feed the people,” said Song. Another presenter was Jacob Appelbaum, an infamous “cypherpunk” who used his technological skills to help WikiLeaks despite its constant attack by state powers. He is one of the main contributors on the Tor Project, an anonymous web browser used by activists and dissidents to escape government’s watchful eyes. For that very reason, he’s come under the scope of the federal government itself, making free travel and free communication with his collaborators practically impossible. “The surveillance of my life is so total and complete, it’s just awful,” said Appelbaum. “It’s impossible to feel free.” He urged all participants to support alleged American whistleblower Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, as their battles are representative of the larger liberties at stake in the age of a growing surveillance society.

Former ESFL President Wolf von Laer with Ghanaian economist and freedom fighter George Ayittey

Though these were just a handful of the brave souls in attendance in Oslo, they were the perfect examples of why the message of individual freedom is so important in this world. The Oslo Freedom Forum was about giving a platform to the individuals who have faced real danger from state violence and oppression. They offered tales on how to be resilient in the face of adversity, how to fight back against the most horrid enemies and how to win using nonviolence, peace, and organizing. It was about making sure the efforts to safeguard the most fundamental human freedoms do not go cold and remain in force whenever they’re threatened.

And with that fight now ingrained in us, Students For Liberty will continue to press on.