Free Trade vs. Mercantilism

Masahunyam Monani on the how protectionism is a form of tyranny, in Bubble Generation:

This is the real scandal of "free" trade today : the vast majority of Ricardian gains are pocketed by a small section of the Western population at the expense of some of the most vulnerable people around the world. Developed nation have consistently used the WTO to push the developing world into reducing trade barriers, but heavily protected their domestic markets against competition...As my b-school prof puts it, nobody has a right to deprive others of their comparative advantage. Stand up for Free Trade to End World Hunger : how's that for a modern version of Hasta La Victoria Siempre?

There is a place for protectionism and subsidies, and that's to protect nascent or developing industries from unfair or overwhelming competition. But most protectionism is devoted to mature industries with political clout.