In *Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones*, there’s this little scene where Chancellor Palpatine--the galaxy’s favorite politician-turned-dictator--tells the Jedi Council he's going to prevent the Separatists from breaking away from the Republic.

The Jedi, in all their wisdom, respond with their famous line, “We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers.” And that’s when you realize the Jedi are about to screw everything up in the most spectacular way possible.

The real question here is: Why is peaceful secession not even on the table? Why couldn’t the Republic just let the Separatists go?

Maybe some planets got tired of funding Coruscant’s never-ending Death Star subsidies. Maybe Naboo didn’t feel like participating in another Senate filibuster on the ethics of pod-racing regulations.

Whatever the reason, some systems wanted out. A good libertarian would say, “Hey, good for them!” But the Jedi? Well, apparently, for all their mystical wisdom, they’d never heard of the idea that sometimes it's best to just let people (or planets) walk away.

*The Libertarian Case for Secession: Divorce is Not a Crime*

We Libertarians--clearly wild-eyed crazies who believe that maybe, just maybe, people shouldn’t be forced into political unions they don’t want--have a simple principle: If you don’t want to be governed by a bunch of bureaucrats sitting on a planet you’ve never been to, you have the right to say, “No, thanks, we’re out.”

Secession is just political divorce, and shockingly--divorce is often the healthiest option when things are clearly not working out.

Why? Because forcing people (or planets) to stay in a political union they hate is a recipe for disaster and inherently unethical, a form of imprisonment. It breeds resentment, sparks rebellion, and in case we missed the entire plot of this trilogy, gives Sith Lords the opportunity to turn galactic conflict into their own personal career boost.

Now, the Jedi--our supposed guardians of peace and justice--should have been the first ones to say, “Hey, maybe we don’t need to use coercion to keep these systems in the Republic.”

But no. Instead, they sit there nodding along like Palpatine’s lapdogs. They miss the forest for the trees, thinking their job is to prevent war by holding the Republic together, like some interstellar babysitters, rather than asking themselves the obvious question: *Why not let the Separatists secede peacefully?*

What would happen if you let a bunch of planets go their own way? Maybe some of them would install Space Socialism, while others would try their hand at Galactic Anarchy. Worst-case scenario, they create their own decentralized Republic with lower taxes, and we all know how that might appeal to the Outer Rim crowd.

Sure, Count Dooku might be a Sith Lord, but come on, when did being led by a sketchy politician become a disqualifier for forming a new government? Last time I checked, Palpatine was already halfway to dictator status, and the Republic still seemed perfectly fine pretending he was their kindly space grandpa.

*Secession as a Neutral Act: Sith Lords or Not*

Libertarian 101: Secession isn’t inherently good or evil. It’s a tool, a means to an end.

If the Republic is a giant bureaucratic nightmare that can’t get anything done without endless committee meetings, who can blame the Separatists for wanting out? Sure, Dooku was a Sith. But does that automatically mean every planet under the Separatist banner was signing up for the Dark Side? Not necessarily.

I mean, if your choices are being taxed into oblivion by the Galactic Senate or taking a chance with Dooku’s weird club of breakaway planets, some systems might think it’s worth the gamble.

Here’s the libertarian twist: If the Republic and Jedi had allowed peaceful secession, there’s a good chance the galaxy wouldn’t have exploded into the Clone Wars. They could’ve negotiated terms. Split the galaxy into two peaceful entities. Trade routes would still be open. Diplomacy could happen. But no, the Jedi decided to stick with Plan A: Keep everyone in line or watch the galaxy burn.

The Jedi’s whole “keepers of the peace” schtick sounds great--until you realize that what they really mean is **“keepers of the status quo.”**

It’s easy to dress up their intervention in noble language, but at the end of the day, they were defending the Republic's monopoly on power. You know, the same Republic that later devolved into the Galactic Empire in about the time it takes for Yoda to finish a single sentence.

By refusing to entertain the idea that maybe secession was the least violent option, the Jedi basically signed up for the worst possible outcome. Instead of protecting peace, they became pawns in a galactic power struggle. Not great, Bob.

*The Libertarian Jedi Solution: Let Them Go*

What should the Jedi have done? Simple. They should’ve embraced the principles of liberty, self-determination, and peaceful separation. Instead of trying to maintain galactic unity by force, they could’ve been the neutral mediators of a peaceful secession. No war. No endless battles between clones and droids. Just a negotiated divorce.

If the Separatists wanted out, let them go. If the Republic didn’t want them to leave, they could’ve offered better incentives: maybe lower taxes, fewer regulations, and less bureaucratic red tape from Coruscant.

If the Separatists still weren’t convinced, well, the Republic would’ve had to compete for planets’ allegiance. Oh, the horror! Imagine a galaxy where political entities actually have to *earn* their citizens' loyalty instead of *forcing* it at blaster-point.

In the end, the Jedi’s biggest mistake was not realizing that secession wasn’t the problem--*their refusal to accept secession was*.

They could’ve avoided becoming pawns in Palpatine’s game if they’d supported the Separatists’ right to self-determination. Instead, they chose to prop up the Republic’s crumbling edifice, making themselves complicit in the war that would soon engulf the galaxy and give the Sith exactly what they wanted.

A libertarian Jedi Order would’ve taken the high ground (and we all know how much Obi-Wan loves the high ground). They would’ve supported peaceful secession, defended the right of systems to govern themselves, and saved the galaxy from a boatload of unnecessary violence.

It’s the ultimate irony: By refusing to let the Separatists go, the Jedi inadvertently helped create the conditions for the Sith to seize power.

The lesson here? When someone wants out of a bad political marriage, let them go. Force isn’t the answer. And for the Jedi? Well, maybe next time, they should listen to the libertarians before jumping into a war they had no business fighting.