In regards on how to deal with a nation that has strong
military, which instills fear into the hearts of nations, I would offer a
different approach than meeting force with force. Adam Smith and his economic
work, An Inquiry into the Nature and
Causes of the Wealth of Nations, promoted the idea of free trade and its
economic benefits to the world as a whole. Assistant Professor of Economics at
Duquesne University, Pavel Yakovlev, has looked at the principles of free trade
and teaches that it can also “promote international peace.”[1]
Professor Yakovlev explains that it is in a country’s
best interest to not wage war if they participate in free trade. Mutual free
trade creates an “interdependence [that] gives countries a strong incentive to
keep hostilities low.”[2] These
hostilities are reduced because of the openness and cultural understanding that
comes from free trade. As nations trade openly with one another, they not only exchange
goods, but they “exchange…ideas and culture” as well.[3] Thus,
nations come to better understand one another, grow to appreciate “each other’s
differences,” and are overall more tolerant.[4]
The opposite approach to trade brings war. The European
colonization period is a perfect example of this. The economic pushes of
mercantilism by the various European nations lead to the first world war, The
French and Indian War or The Seven Years War. The classic liberal and political economist, Frédéric Bastiat said, “If goods can’t cross borders, armies will.”[5] It
only stands to reason that if more nations promoted free trade, then more
nations would have less need for strong militaries.
Bibliography
Yakovlev,
Pavel. “Does Trade Promote Peace?” Learn
Liberty. March 13, 2012. http://www.learnliberty.org/videos/does-trade-promote-peace/.
No comments:
Post a Comment