General argument: Trade and the exchange of goods and ideas is a process at the heart of mankind and civilization. Trade is used as the Earth's great unifier and equalizer across nations. The act of trade has been with us since the dawn of man. It has been used as a means of conflict resolution, to breakdown cultural boundaries and brings people together, to improve quality of life, to enact marriages, and to provide human livelihood. .
As the Greek writer, Libanius said in the fourth century A.D.
"God did not bestow all products upon all parts of the Earth, but distributed his gifts over different regions, to the end that men might cultivate a social relationship because one would need of the help of another. And so he called commerce into being, that all men might be able to have common enjoyment of the fruits of the Earth, no matter where produced.
Pro: .
Economic Reasons.
Comparative Advantage .
Improved Productivity.
Increased per capita income.
Specialization of production.
Trade creates jobs for the unemployed.
A connected and economically interdependent world must grow together .
It gives consumers more choice and a broader range of qualities to choose from.
Moral Reasons.
Free Trade Respects Individual Dignity and Sovereignty.
Free Trade Restrains the Power of the State.
Free Trade Encourages Individuals to Cultivate Moral Virtues.
Free Trade Brings People Together.
Free Trade Encourages Basic Human Rights.
Free Trade Fosters Peace.
Free Trade Feeds and Clothes the Poor.
Promotes Economic Liberty.
Comparative Advantage.
Comparative Advantage is the fundamental case for Free Trade. Free Trade leads to greater wealth and prosperity, while trade restrictions force a society to waste its resources. .
Comparative advantage implies that a country would benefit to import some goods while producing others, even if it is capable of more efficiently producing those imported goods. On the other hand, a country would be able to export goods even if the other country could produce them more efficiently.