Protectionism

Protectionism

Several of the world's leaders have been quite vocal in stating that protectionism is a "bad" policy. Some of them may have been a little cynical and may have just been paying lip service to the principle. I feel that most of the Western World, that is to say the countries normally referred to as "developed", will not be able to compete with China, India and several of the Pacific Rim countries when it comes to the cost of an article.

The size and complexity of the "articles" have long since left tee shirts, sets of cutlery
and toys far behind. Television sets and various very technical electronic "gizmos" will be supplemented by powerful motorcycles, cars, trucks and even commercial aircraft in the not too distant future.

If China and India really put their minds to it they could also flood the world, for example, with top class medical personnel and professional engineers, of all disciplines, prepared to work for lower salaries than their "Western" counterparts. Does protectionism also extend to offering employment to such highly qualified experts.

As I see it the world could well, with advantage, divide up into areas or groups of countries that share common ties such as race, language, defence, geographic location and, possibly, religion. Sheer logic could well, in some cases, override inherent nationalism and dictate the composition of some such groups. Each group will try to be self sufficient in regard to defence, food, power supplies and commodities. Trading within the group will be freely encouraged and the population, within the group, will learn to accept the situation as it is.

Trading between the groups will be on a mutually agreed basis, almost on a barter system. National and world security will be based on the principle that any suggestion of a conventional war will lead to the mutually destructive use of nuclear or chemical weapons.

Protectionism on such an open basis may eventually lead to a better understanding of the problems facing the world and could even encourage the best developed areas to adopt a more philanthropic attitude to areas of the world in need.

Frederick W Gilling 28/08/2009