A perpetual issue,
Economically, as with security issues, the US is the leader of the pact and with our size and in our position we cannot shrink in our position since this would cause a collapse of the entire system in security or trade. Example: If the US had defaulted and had told the Germans to get bent in the late 90s reference the Balkans, NATO would have ceased. Likewise if we really played the games the Germans did historically to restrict imports the current world markets would not even exist.
The US is a heterogeneous society that has loyalties that extend across its boarders. The American consumer as a whole does not care much about where something is made, unlike as an example his German counterpart. In fact, the American has a near unsatisfyable apatite for many imported goods and if the government were to restrict them, there would be public outcry. We are the complete opposite as a society compared to many in Europe and Asia. While their people largely are agreeable to restrictions on imports, the American does not care and if it saves him a dollar, he’ll buy made in China at Wal-Mart, which is truly the case. People can portray Wal-Mart as a four headed dragon all they want, yet the shoppers keep coming.
We can’t play the games other do, but we can pressure them to open up to us. Of course they will then portray us as the bully. Furthermore, as with Germany you run into the typical backdoor tariff or trade restriction games through bogus safety, environmental, tax code and other hidden barriers intended to keep US goods and services out of the market. The barriers become subtle but typically remain and governmental organizations often in outright collaborative efforts with national industry create a framework of laws etc. that achieve the same end. Example: The German telecommunications market. Expect the same long term with Korea as is today already the case with China. It’s just a trend that has been proven time and time again, may it be Germany, Japan, today China and S. Korea etc.
Many don’t want free trade; they want exports. What they want is to export their products and services to the US but restrict their markets from US goods and services. S. Korea is no different, and like the Germans 20 years earlier have an economy that grew on the back of these exports. From LG, Hyundai, Kia, Samsung or Daewoo, it’s exports that grew their economy.
Jefferson Davis’s (Democrat) Inaugural Address
Montgomery, Alabama, February, 1861
Sustained by a consciousness that our transition from the former Union to the present Confederacy (Democrat) has not proceeded from any disregard on our part of our just obligations, or any failure to perform every constitutional duty — moved by no intention or design to invade the rights of others (except Cuba, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland...) — anxious to cultivate peace and commerce with all nations — if we may not hope to avoid war, we may at least expect that posterity will acquit us of having needlessly engaged in it. We are doubly justified by the absence of wrong on our part, and by wanton aggression on the part of others. There can be no cause to doubt that the courage and patriotism of the people of the Confederate States will be found equal to any measure of defence which may be required for their security. Devoted to agricultural pursuits, [b]their chief interest is the export of a commodity required in every manufacturing country. Our policy is peace, and the freest trade our necessities will permit. It is alike our interest, and that of all those to whom we would sell and from whom we would buy, that there should be the fewest practicable restrictions upon interchange of commodities. [/b]