“This discussion has been among a group of like-minded people who generally see the
benefits of free trade. But that view is not necessarily widely held in the broader society, where protectionism attracts a lot of support. That’s why we need to have more discussions such as this. We need to stimulate more debate about trade policy, tease out different viewpoints, and hopefully end up with policies that better suit both our national selfinterest and the global interest in returning to growth as soon as quickly as possible.”