n Nations, and others) strips away traditional markets for excluded countries, while simultaneously making it more difficult for such countries to gain entry into new markets. Aggressive and frequently unfair trading practices by economic superpowers such as the United States and Japan create additional problems and barriers for mid-level economies that are excluded from regional trading arrangements.
The basic model of international trade is structured around the concept of comparative advantage. The theory of comparative advantage holds that mutually advantageous trade between countries will always be available, because trade patterns will be based on relative prices, as opposed to absolute prices (the theory of absolute advantage, wherein mutually advantageous trade between countries might not always be possible). The reasoning behind the theory of comparative advantage is that no single country can have comparative advantage in all commodities. Initially, the theory was based on labor-cost differ
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