Advocating freedom is such a winning political strategy that every leader, from Xi Jinping to Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un to Vladimir Putin, claims to be in its pursuit. Every revolution is fought in its name. But, critics argue that the universal advocacy of freedom is evidence of its vacuity and its danger. The French Revolution's call for liberty ended in terror and mass execution. Stalin described the communist revolution as the first moment humanity was “really free”, while sending millions to the gulags. Mussolini wrote, “fascism stands for liberty, and for the only liberty worth having”. The idea of freedom begins to look less like humanity’s greatest achievement and more like its most dangerous delusion.

Should we conclude that the goal of freedom has always been an illusion? Are we wrong to treat freedom as an end in itself, rather than focus on other tangible interventions to improve our lives? Or, is the pursuit of freedom the most essential tool to fight tyranny and oppression?