Economic internationalists favor few restrictions on free trade and investment. They believe that a mostly unfettered flow of goods, services, and capital will, in the long term, advance the prosperity of all countries. Economic nationalists disagree. They see the international economy as a generally zero-sum game in which prosperity of some often comes at the expense of others. Therefore, economic nationalists believe that restrictions are often warranted to protect their country's economy and to advance its political interests.

You can test where you stand by deciding on three U.S. economic policy issues discussed in this chapter. One involves the continuation of the long-standing economic embargo on Cuba. The second is the U.S. membership in the Central American Free Trade Association (CAFTA), which the Senate supported by a vote of 54 to 45 and the House consented to by a razor-thin vote of 217 to 215. The third involves various resolutions introduced in Congress that helped block the acquisition of the U.S. energy company, Unocal, by Chinese investors.

What Do You Think?
Assume that you are a member of Congress facing votes today on three issues. For each issue, a yea vote casts you as an economic internationalist; a nay vote aligns you with the economic nationalists. Cast your vote!