I don't think it's as binary as that. Many large prosperous countries (e.g Germany) rely heavily on exports but are still more heavily interventionist and prote

I don't think it's as binary as that. Many large prosperous countries (e.g Germany) rely heavily on exports but are still more heavily interventionist and protectionist than the United States. While I'm largely in favor of free trade, it would be somewhat foolish at this point to deny that a trade policy such as ours, so exclusively focused on returns for the Capital class, has pretty bad political consequences. We either have to develop a better education system and social safety net, or subject ourselves to dangerous populist tantrums.