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Why do nations so frequently abandon unrestricted international commerce in favor of trade protectionism? David A. Lake contends that the dominant explanation, interest group theory, does not adequately explain American trade strategy or address the contradictory elements of cooperation and conflict that shape the international economy. Power, Protection, and Free Trade offers an alternative, systemic approach to trade strategy that builds on the interaction between domestic and international factors. In this innovative book, Lake maintains that both protection and free trade are legitimate and effective instruments of national policy, the considered responses of nations to varying international structures.
This monograph questions the benefits of free trade, arguing that, far from promoting prosperity for all those involved, free trade only serves a narrow range of interests, primarily for the large corporations who conduct it. The authors claim that the consequences of present arrangements and those promised under the new GATT agreement will increase the difference between the world's rich and poor and accelerate the destruction of the global environment. The authors suggest instead that trading arrangements should emphasize regional self-sufficiency and the overall amount of trade should be reduced.
"This book argues that fair trade is opposition to trade based on sincere concerns about environmental and labor conditions abroad rather than just protectionism in disguise or labels on coffee products, using public opinion and Congressional voting as evidence that fair trade is sincere and distinct from free trade and protectionism"--