Governments everywhere need to get out of the business of trade and leave markets alone. Western democratic governments, in particular, need to practice the principles of freedom they preach and think of free trade not as a privilege but as a fundamental human right. A free-market approach to human rights policy does not mean an attitude of indifference toward human rights abuses. Using slave labor or political prisoners and compelling very young children to compete in international markets are wrong. The problem is that even limited actions are very difficult to enforce and unlikely to bring about political change in an authoritarian regime.
Protectionist measures are more apt to radicalize than liberalize closed societies.
The logical alternative is to use the leverage of trade to open authoritarian regimes to market forces and let the rule of law and democratic values evolve spontaneously as they have in Chile, South Korea, and Taiwan. The expansion of markets creates a culture of commerce and economic liberty that naturally spills over to social and political life. As people become freer in their economic life, they will demand greater autonomy in other areas, including a stronger voice in government. The right to trade is an integral part of an individual's property rights and a civil right that governments should protect as a universal human right. Market exchange rests on private property, which is a natural right.