Why free trade?

Leftists don't like free trade. They have a number of reasons for their dislike, for example:

• When jobs are competed for on an international scale, low-skilled manufacturing jobs often move to poorer countries, thereby decreasing power of local unions often controlled by the Left. All other reasons of the Left to fight free trade worldwide are derived from this reason.
• In an environment of free trade, some individuals can accumulate enormous wealth but others do not. The so-called "income gap" between the richest and the poorest then seems to widen, and that by itself is considered bad by the Left.
• When poor countries increasingly industrialize their economies, natural resources are used in a greater scale. This holds for both Europe during its industrial revolution, and will happen every time a country opens up to the rest of the world. Leftists often pretend they have some special care for the environment, for example compared to free-marketers, and fight free trade on those terms.
• Work conditions in factories outside the richest Western countries are often lesser than those in the rich countries. Even factories producing the same products differ a lot in working conditions, depending on the regulation and laws in the country they are in. Leftists often look at that as some kind of symbol of negative effects of free trade, and imagine that having no jobs in factories instead, or fewer jobs in a little better conditions, are a better option for the poor of the world.

I could go through all these Leftist-arguements against free trade but I won't unless asked to. I have another point to make here.

Since 9/11 the debate worldwide has more or less handled one thing: Terrorism. We all want to be safe, right? We don't want our houses to be bombed away by men who hate us, our religion, our way of life and our sins against some god or another, right? I imagine no-one likes terrorism and terrorists. But how to fight it? Shall we do like the Left says and obey every demand made by catholic, Islamic, Christian or just generally deranged terrorist makes on us, do what the most crazy ones would like us to do, and hope everything turns out well? Do we really have to give up our way of life, our freedom, our views and our politics to make everything neutral and therefore happy in some sense? It would decrease terrorism I imagine, and no-one would have any reasons to hold a grudge against anyone else, but I'm not so sure that's the way to go.

So what is best? Here are a few thoughts on that, which combine the very precious free-trade with the so-called war on terrorism. Lets quote:

But free trade should not be seen merely as a bargaining chip. Free trade is a good, contributing to better living standards for all peoples. Unfortunately, the very forms of beneficial voluntary person-to-person contact that are instrumental in defeating terrorism, and that are celebrated by the free-market trade, private investment, tourism, cultural exchange – have come to a near standstill. Reversing these trends should be a primary objective in the campaign against terrorism.

So I say: Away with soldiers, bombs, Leftists, politicians, threats, embargoes and other instruments and tools of governments to shape the world in their image. Free trade goes a long way in eliminating conflicts, ignorance and the need to go to arms to fight for causes. Leftists who oppose it should realize this as soon as possible and therefore take part in making the world a better, free-er and safer place. Right now they contribute to the opposite.