one reason for the conflict between today’s free traders and anti-globalization activists is that the former regard the first role as paramount whereas the latter think in terms of the second.
In today's world the concept of "free" trade is used as a cudgel. Today it seems that free trade ony works if the USA gets the short stick and the other side gets the long. Take NAFTA, in exchange for free access to USA markets the Mexicans also unloaded millions of illegal immigrants into the USA. This is not free trade. In exchange, the American worker gained only stagnant wages. Not very fair.
