People themselves, not governments, should decide who they trade with. Being able to make such choices is a defining part of freedom

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By Pierre Lemieux

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I fear we must admit it: there is not a single truly free country among the 200 or so that occupy this planet. If there were one, we would have expected a representative of its state to declare publicly, about the current trade war, something like the following:

“Whatever others may do, our government has decided to eliminate the last vestiges of tariffs and coercive barriers to trade. The citizens and residents of this country are free individuals who may trade with anybody — in the next village, the next country, or at the farthest reaches of the Earth — who is willing and able to trade with them.

“Only a few restrictions exist, such as trade in stolen goods, hiring killers-for-hire, buying copper, and such. (Pardon my dark humour designed to lighten up these difficult times, but “copper” is, of course, a joke.) Anybody or any non-violent organization in the world who wishes to buy from, or sell to, the free men and women here or the businesses they own and operate is welcome to try.

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