Free trade, it seems, is no guarantor of worldly peace. None the less, it plainly helps, which is one of the reasons why the present outbreak of protectionist posturing and backdoor trade restrictions so desperately needs to be countered.
Never mind that beggar-thy-neighbour trade policies will, for all involved, always translate into lost commercial opportunity, economic blight and impaired employment prospects – they can also be a precursor of much more serious international conflict.
