April 29, 2015
If only people on both sides of the debate really understood what they were talking about. At bottom, the idea of further freeing up trade is about furthering globalization, which all sides—left, right and center—agree is the most important economic trend of our time. The only difference of opinion is whether globalization is good or bad. Pro-market neoliberals want to educate Americans to excel in a global labor market characterized by ruthless competition among individuals living in different continents. Economic populists want to use protectionist measures to fight globalization by bringing well-paying manufacturing jobs back to the United States.