The dominant political and economic forces in the world today strongly favor transnational trade. They are supported, and largely motivated, in this by the implications of the economic principles now taught in our universities. Economists assume, quite reasonably, that a shared goal is prosperity. There is still much poverty in the world, and the global population continues to increase. A great deal of economic growth is required in order to increase prosperity and spread it more widely. The question economists ask, then, is how best to attain economic growth.