In chapter 5 in “The World is Flat” Friedman discusses America and Free Trade. Friedman lays out the basic arguments for and against free trade. Friedman first introduces this topic by stating that it is an issue “that needs sorting out immediately,” followed by his personal experience of a problem with this issue while filming the Discovery Times documentary in Bangalore. The self-identified "free-trader" mentions David Ricardo’s theory of comparative advantage as the theoretical underpinning justifying globalization as an economic project. Friedman acknowledges that there is currently an intense debate over the status of this theory, but opines that "Ricardo is still right and that “more American individuals will be better off if we don’t erect barriers to outsourcing, supply-chaining, and offshoring than if we do.” Friedman states that the simple message of this chapter is that even as the world gets flat, America as a whole will benefit more by sticking to the general......
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