"Free trade is a crucial element in the strengthening of fragile democracies, in breaking down disharmony and trust . . . . It is very important in equalizing opportunity.'' — Former President Jimmy Carter"The basic truth . . . is that specialization and trade are mutually beneficial or 'profitable' to the two states (individuals, regions, or nations) if the comparative costs of the two products within the the two states differ.'' — Campbell McConnell, Economics.
"These trade agreements, whether they are NAFTA or they are GATT, are robbing us slowly each day, each week, each year, each cycle of the protections we had to build a stable foundation for our families.'' — Floor speech by David Bonier.
Lava flow from volcanic activity created the Hawaiian Islands. Over the centuries, seeds, birds and smalls animals borne by the wind and driftwood populated the islands. Through evolution, the isolated islands developed unique species and adaptions, creating a complex, yet fragile, ecosystem. The isolation of the islands ensured that invasions of new species were limited to such a slow pace that the ecosystem could adapt.
New species introduced by Pacific Islanders and later by Europeans often devastated the local ecosystems. Often the Hawaiian ecosystems were critically dependent upon a few species. If these few species failed, an entire ecosystem could suffer massive disruptions. The isolation of Hawaiian Islands produced exotic and uniquely adapted species, but at the cost of increasing fragility.
The area which is now Costa Rica has a terrain and climate similar to Hawaii. However, the area sits between two continental land masses and experienced northward and southward migrations of many species. As a consequence, Costa Rica developed a more robust ecosystem. Rather than depending on delicate balances of a relatively few species, Costa Rica has many different plants and animals that perform many different functions. In such an evironment, not only do individual species grow more robust, but the ecosystem does not critically depend on a few species. There exists a defense in depth.
Recently, there have been considerable attempts to draw analogies between natural ecosystems and economies and businesses. In the Death of Competition: Leadership and Strategy in the Age of Ecosystems, James Moore argues that the cooperative and competitive arrangements and relationships between businesses and government form an economic ecosystem. Like the natural ecosystems, isolated (through trade and other barriers) economies can create business uniquely adapted to their environments. However, such economies are fragile. Economies disciplined by free trade not only flourish, but, because of their depth, they are less vulnerable to economic change.
The 50 individual states of the United States amply demonstrate that
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