Source: EconLog
by Pierre Lemieux
“If a free country is defined as a place where an individual or private organization is free to engage in voluntary cooperation — including trade — with whoever is willing or able to and on terms accepted by both parties, it follows that ‘trade war’ is a contradiction in terms. Free trade is peaceful trade. Why is this definition of a free country useful? Why should we see individual action as inseparable from social life? For two sorts of reasons. First, a free society is desirable to the extent that equal liberty, along with the opportunities and general prosperity that follow (as economics demonstrates), are themselves desirable. Second, understanding the consequences of social interaction requires methodological individualism — that is, to start the analysis from individual preferences, incentives, and self-interest.” (07/15/25)
https://www.econlib.org/trade-war-as-a-contradiction-in-terms