I don't like "free trade" one bit.
Doubt you really mean what you say.
I expect that, just like the rest of us, you put Arab oil into your mixed-origin automobile, interface with the internet on a mixed-origin computer, drink African coffee and Indian tea, snack on Central American bananas and chocolate from African cocoa beans seasoned with Mexican vanilla, dress in textiles from all over the world, and so forth.
Free trade is the engine that drives the world, i.e., so-called Samurai swords and Toledo swords made from Indian wootz, the South-East Asians invented the concept of zero, and other things of great value that travelled the Silk Road, whether it's pepper, silk, ivory, or precious metals.
For Genghis Khan, the greatest treasure in his far-flung empire was educated men, scholars, and he delighted in having the best educated working for him.
Ancient burial caches of persons of high status all over the world contain prized items from thousands of miles away, from Baltic amber to Chinese cinnabar to Japanese pearls.
Always was, always will be. |
