The explicit aim of GATT is to eliminate all trade restrictions. The latest round of GATT talks have been going on for six years now, seeking to abolish all trade restrictions between GATT countries. In principle, free trade sounds good. Free trade means the unrestricted exchange of commerce between buyers and sellers across international boundaries. It means, basically, keep government interference to a minimum in all matters of trade.
Free trade means no trade barriers.
If U.S. cotton growers are being hurt by imports of cheaper cotton from Guatemala, a tariff on Guatemalan cotton raises the price of imported cotton and gives U.S. cotton producers an edge in the U.S. market. But in terms of price, the loser is the U.S. consumer who pays an artificially inflated price for cotton. In principle, free trade promises cheaper t-shirts for everybody. For example, Congress might restrict the export of American high technology products, such as computer chips or software, to keep them from our competitors. If the U.S. government employs taxpayer dollars to invent a new strain of wheat that grows fast in dry regions, wheat farmers in dry parts of Nebraska are better-equipped to compete against Canadian wheat farmers.