"Libertarian" Does Not Mean "Right-wing"

I sometimes see people mistakenly characterize "libertarians" as "right-wing".

To understand where libertarianism stands in the political spectrum, it's easiest to look at a Nolan Chart:

Libertarians want minimal government, and maximum economic freedom & personal freedom. On foreign policy, they are staunchly anti-war.

Libertarians & right-wingers tend to agree on economic issues (capitalism, low / no taxes, no government price controls like minimum wage).

But they will disagree on personal freedom / morality / social issues (drugs, prostitution, pornography).

It's a little bit like comparing Singapore vs Switzerland. Both are capitalist, no minimum wage, no capital gains taxes, no estate taxes, low overall taxes. Both are anti-war, and non-imperialist. But on social issues, Singapore has a mandatory death penalty for drug dealers, while Switzerland has lenient drug laws. I know it's not a perfect example, but in this sense, Singapore tends to be right-wing, and Switzerland tends to lean libertarian (although certainly not a purely libertarian country).

Hope that helps clarify things a bit.