Trade is not a "welfare operation" nor a zero-sum game.

Trade is not a "welfare operation" nor a zero-sum game. With regard to economic protectionism, I take it for granted that economically less-developed countries should protect their infant industries and the people who work in these industries through industrial policies.

Free trade was, and is still, beneficial to any economy of the world. The principle of free trade, which was championed by two Agro-Saxon economies, was always forced on less-developed economies.

If the globalization of economy is hurting the "rust belt" region in the US, and the gap between the rich and the poor in the country is widening, some feasible industrial policies and social programs should be adopted in the country. Crony capitalism is not the answer.