Ha -Joon Chang is a professor of Economics at Stanford University. He is one of the leading critics of organizations such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. Cho's most recent published work, Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and Secret History of Capitalism makes the case from a historical perspective that the countries who now profess to be strong proponents of free trade simply were not always so keen on the idea. Basically, the whole book is made out in order to make those who have had natural resources and an abundance of intellect within their countries feel like hypocrites. It is in many ways a continuation of his book Kicking the Ladder in reference to how he feels more prosperous countries are kicking the ladder out from under smaller nations before they are ready to compete within the global marketplace.

Cho concedes that of course trade is good once a country is ready for it. However, he does argue for what Alexander Hamilton wrote in support of "infant industry protection." He expresses frustration about how some countries at WTO meetings have hundreds of advisers there ready to discuss any economic topic under the sun; however some of the countries with a lesser Gross Domestic Product are often even shut out of a particular meeting or simply can't physically be at enough meetings to make sure their interests are being represented. Because of this lack of representation Cho reasons that countries sign agreements which are unfavorable in the long run to their citizens.

I need not fool you. Chang is certainly not a pure free market economist out of the University of Chicago. He is someone who was born and raised in South Korea. South Korea is one of the biggest protectionist countries in the world by anyone's estimate. He argues against granting so many Z visas which he says forces a "brain drain" out of more impoverished nations in Africa and Asia as many of those folks end up immigrating to the United States. He argues that if a South Korea would have allowed such a massive brain drain out of their country that they would not have been able to develop such a wonderful auto industry that they now share with the rest of the free world. Chang goes on to list companies, industries and situations in which a country's leaders instituted some sort of tariff in order to develop an industry or major firm before it was ready for primetime so to speak.

The problem with Chang's book and the problem with most economics

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