tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post111962445309831048..comments2023-11-30T03:44:34.585-05:00Comments on Opinions Nobody Asked For: A Book Review, and Random HilarityJeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11683622475941901572noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-1119645501270113302005-06-24T16:38:00.000-04:002005-06-24T16:38:00.000-04:00Well, did you read the article? It's not just abo...Well, did you read the article? It's not just about economics. It's about engagement with unfree regimes instead of isolation of them. It's operating under the assumptions that these are dictatorial regimes we want to change and not ones we prop up.<BR/><BR/>He's contrasting the RELATIVE advances in, say China, Libya, or Vietnam (whom we've engaged diplomatically and economically) with the continued total repression in, say Cuba, North Korea, or pre-war Iraq (whom we've isolated or at least tried to isolate).Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15344649128973165027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-1119641157031899762005-06-24T15:25:00.000-04:002005-06-24T15:25:00.000-04:00The problem, of course, is that most "free trade" ...The problem, of course, is that most "free trade" agreements are not free trade-based at all. Like CAFTA, NAFTA, etc., they are designed to protect corporate interests through loopholes such as subsidies and weak penalties for labor law breaches.<BR/><BR/>And history is full of dictatorships that we've propped up in the name of a "free" economy. Ask Guatemala, Chile, Indonesia...Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11683622475941901572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7603499.post-1119636384574595402005-06-24T14:06:00.000-04:002005-06-24T14:06:00.000-04:00Fareed Zakaria might disagree with Perkins. Whate...Fareed Zakaria might disagree with Perkins. Whatever the case, has an interesting article on how to approach dictatorial regimes here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8272764/site/newsweek/<BR/><BR/>It seems to go with the old argument that free trade brings more freedom and contrasts it with the sanction-them-and-wait-for-them-to-fall approach. Whether correct or not, it does raise the question of what to do when encountering unfree governments....and whether what "feels" right actually accomplishes the most good.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15344649128973165027noreply@blogger.com