When the Market Meets the State: Intel, the National Guard, and the Boundaries of Freedom

When the U.S. government became the largest shareholder in Intel this summer, it crossed a boundary Americans once assumed would never move. What began as a safeguard against supply chain risks now raises deeper questions about free enterprise, accountability, and the role of government in our economy. The issue is not just Intel, nor even the National Guard deployments we have seen in U.S. cities. It is about whether today’s exceptions are becoming tomorrow’s norms.