In the nineteenth century, nations, particularly large, self-reliant nations such as the United States, could get away with protectionist trade policies. In the globally integrated economy of the twenty-first century, autarky becomes a much dicier proposition. Further, most of the damage done to the economies of the developing world has been self-inflicted; to paraphrase Cordell Hull, protectionism is a gun that recoils most forcefully upon the least fortunate.
