In Search of rules for International Trade: Which country makes what matters, but how do we agree on the this eternally contentious area?

The subject of the rules, theories, and realities of international trade for me is full of dissonances that have attracted and held my constant interest for the last two decades. The feeling that explanations given and the rules implied by economists are not fully accurate and not the complete picture, and are not always followed by politicians anyway. Whatever your economic or political views, you have to concede that questions in this area are far from settled. This is, of course, partly thanks also to one controversial president in one important country, and another important country with a controversial political and economic system, which is breaking records with its market-disrupting exports. Please read the chapter headings to see if you are interested in reading further. If you are browsing on a mobile phone, please go onto a laptop or PC to see the chapter headings with the 'read sample' feature.