Kicking Away the Ladder

Just read Cambridge professor Ha-Joon Chang's paper, "Kicking Away the Ladder", that basically describes how the UK and the US were protectionist countries in the early days of their economic development. Once their industries have gained strength, they then turn to "free trade" and posit it as a "one size fit all" strategy for all nations. Nowadays, it is certainly the popular view that "free trade" is good for everyone and a view that is imposed on all governments. Thomas Friedman and many other economists subscribe to this view. But is this right? I do not believe the behavior of the UK and the US in the early days necessarily mean the policy is right or wrong or even appropriate for a country in its early economic days. What I do agree with is that "free trade" is not a panacea and more importantly, every nation should act for their own good irregardless of their economical or other ideology.

If you don't watch out for yourself, who is going to do that for you?