The opposite of libertarian political ideology is not left or liberal, it's authoritarian.

[LeftishBrit]

229. What I meant here...

was that where government does not or cannot intervene and take a protective role, others, such as corporatists, gang-leaders, organized crime bosses or warlords are likely to fill the gap, and to act as authoritarian bullies, starving and killing others.

I will concede that such individuals and groups don't kill as many people at once as a Hitler or Stalin can, with a massive state and military apparatus under their control. But they still kill lots of people. Thousands have been killed in the 'failed state' of Somalia, for example.

Moreover, one of the biggest direct and indirect causes of death worldwide is poverty. Malnutrition kills about 3 million children every year. Almost all cases of severe poverty and malnutrition could be prevented by adequate intervention, national and international, by governments. Some governments actively starve their populations as part of war or through active theft of essential resources. But a lot of starvation and poverty is caused by neglect, by uncaringness by national governments and the international community - the very principle on which economic libertarianism is based.