Comments on: Free Trade Matters

By: Andrew Williams

Andrew Williams — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:52:43 +0000

“One other thing. According to Wikipedia, Rosling is an accomplished sword swallower.”

That’s what *he* said.

By: Boyd Durkin

Boyd Durkin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:30:50 +0000

Nice post, Ben (the other one). I fully support Free Trade, not Fair Trade. Poor people can’t fight their oppressive governments (and it is THEIR fight, not ours…other than using our pens). Free Trade is the fastest way to make the poor less poor by fully valuing their labor and local economies. Fair Trade quickly gets warped by politics and ends up looking more like bad trade policy with lipstick. Let Americans vote on labor/environmental concerns by either buying these products or not. Too important to leave to politically motivated elite to determine.

If I could change one of your sentences:
“The problem with free trade as practiced over the last four presidential terms is…” that it was NOT free trade.

American trade policy has as much to do with free trade as Carrot Top has to do with super colliders. Saying “HEY! I’m running a marathon!” while sitting on the coach does not make it so.

By: hexag1

hexag1 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:54:07 +0000

i think you mean Gapminder.

By: Dude

Dude — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:30:37 +0000

Heh. Sword swallower.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:11:54 +0000

Trade issues are clearly beyond the grasp of our leaders. Obama is no exception.
http://rightklik.blogspot.com/

By: scats

scats — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:56:02 +0000

and neoliberalism has no connection to the current global financial crisis? the rise of neoconservatism? the encroaching police state? the war? the expansion of the prison-industrial complex and militarist immigration policy?

is there really no question that the neoliberal version of free-trade has been a net benefit?

By: Lee

Lee — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:53:07 +0000

We don’t have free trade, we have Managed Trade. Think about it… conditions on EVERYTHING: environmental, economic, etc. and if you don’t meet the standards, you don’t get to participate in the Managed Trade.

By: Ben (the other one)

Ben (the other one) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:47:20 +0000

It’s an interesting video, but I think it’s not even implicitly making a Friedmanesque argument for free trade. Perhaps the prime example is Rosling’s mention of Mao’s bringing health to China and Deng’s bringing money there. Deng Xiao-Ping’s reign was not exactly the Chinese Enlightenment.

This post really begs the question– what is the purpose of American policy? Is it to maximize the health and welfare of all humans, or just Americans? Is it to preserve the environment in the US or everywhere?

The problem with free trade as practiced over the last four presidential terms is pretty much precisely what Rosling laments: that it ignored the complexity of the situation (inherent in the data he wants to unleash) because of the belief in a single ideology.

I agree with fair traders that it makes little sense to open up free trade with a country whose policies fundamentally disregard environmental and labor protections we have collectively come to see as necessary. No doubt, that opinion would impose our judgment on a foreign country, but no more so than would their desire to impose their values (or lack thereof) on us in the form of goods made under their system.

Let the thumbs-down commence!

By: jwh

jwh — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:41:33 +0000

“We’re going to hear a lot about “fair trade” and making future and possibly even past trade agreements contingent on labor and environmental standards”

If BO wants to go back and renegotiate past treaties, hey, that’s at least going to distract his administration from some of the more damaging changes to domestic matters to which he might engage….and he’ll probably be unsuccessful. Just because BO wants to change a treaty doesn’t mean the other countries will want to change the treaty…….all he can do is, possibly, nullify them……..and is that foreign policy change that we voted for? hmmmmmmmm

By: kmr

kmr — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:39:55 +0000

I love TED talks, and Rosling’s are among my favorites. Regarding sword swallowing, be sure to take a look at the end of his other talk:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html