Free Trade vs Protectionism

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I believe in fair trade. Free trade often gives up too much and protectionism gives up too little and frequently pisses other countries off. Fair trade is the only acceptable answer.

I'm not sure that answers anything. If two countries want to trade freely, that could be considered fair. If two countries want to be protectionist against each other, I guess that could be considered fair too.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Protectionism for export-based countries, Free Trade for import...based (you know what I mean) economies.

That almost seems backwards.  The best argument for protectionism is when you have a country that is flooded with imports and you want to encourage domestic industry. If you have an exporting economy already, protectionism's tendency to start trade wars will be more damaging.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Protectionism for export-based countries, Free Trade for import...based (you know what I mean) economies.

That almost seems backwards.  The best argument for protectionism is when you have a country that is flooded with imports and you want to encourage domestic industry. If you have an exporting economy already, protectionism's tendency to start trade wars will be more damaging.

Yeah I should have said "if you [want] to have..."  My bad.

I'm not sure what you're saying then.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Protectionism for export-based countries, Free Trade for import...based (you know what I mean) economies.

That almost seems backwards.  The best argument for protectionism is when you have a country that is flooded with imports and you want to encourage domestic industry. If you have an exporting economy already, protectionism's tendency to start trade wars will be more damaging.

Yeah I should have said "if you [want] to have..."  My bad.

I'm not sure what you're saying then.

Tariffs should be used to foster home grown industry, while free trade should be supported if one's economy is not export-based.

I don't see the distinction here.  If your economy isn't focused on exporting goods, it's probably focusing on home grown industry for home markets, right?  What kind of economy is neither, where you think free trade should be supported?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Free trade, but make it like fair trade.

Free Trade = Fair Trade

No.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade

That entry has to do with promotion of certain products and no relation to trade policy.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I lean strongly toward free trade, but am more comfortable when environmental and labor items are negotiated into agreements. In most cases I would also be alright with developing countries sheltering some of their core industries from rigorous foreign competition, though later down the road when the countries in question are better off I would want more trade barriers to fall away.

This is pretty much my position as well.