Protectionism does work, every rich country protected its domestic production until it was able to compete on a global level. Doing otherwise would just result

Protectionism does work, every rich country protected its domestic production until it was able to compete on a global level. Doing otherwise would just result in the internal industry being bought out for pennies or being obliterated by advanced competitors. Protectionism doesn't guarantee that a country will be successful at building cars, but they should at least bloody try to before giving up. And yes, capitalism can improve a country's fortunes if applied judiciously. Merely opening the markets to a free for all wil just result in the vultures swooping in, getting rich and leaving some rests for the locals.