It is difficult to see the benefits of trade when those benefits are obtained from the labor of those who are not free to enjoy the ordinary rights of liberty and property. We are not a nation that condones the reaping of the fruits of injustice. This is the reason why the rights of free emigration are so important to any trade agreement that we negotiate with a nonmarket country. Presumably. there is no nonmarket country that will revolutionize its entire system. restore the rights of property ownership so essential to the freedom of the individual. and throw off Communist ideology just for the sake of trade. But we can demand steps that will lead to an improvement of the system under which the citizens of those countries must live. The most important step is the right of free emigration. without intimidation and harassment. Such a right provides an alternative to the oppressed citizen. if we cannot provide alternatives within the system we should provide the alternative of leaving the system. A desire to emigrate is. of course. an implied criticism of the system. It is understandable why Communist ideology fears allowing any alternative to its citizens. but this alternative is more palatable than one that demands internal changes. It may be that if many citizens chose the alternative of leaving. then the Communist system will have to make some internal changes to accommodate.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration