Means of Capitalist Development: A Radical Political Economy Critique of the Trade Regime Debate.

The article critically examines the longstanding debate between free trade and protectionism as competing trade regimes, emphasizing that both have historically been advocated as means of capitalist development within the constraints of capitalist social relations. It traces the evolution of free trade theory from classical political economy through neoclassical and neoliberal frameworks, alongside the legacy of protectionism championed by figures like Alexander Hamilton, Friedrich List, and Latin American structuralists, who argued for state intervention to foster national industrialization. Employing a Marxist political economy critique, the article highlights that both regimes inherently reflect class-biased implications, perpetuating exploitation and uneven development, with free trade intensifying international capitalist competition and protectionism mediating but not overturning capitalist class relations. The analysis concludes that debates over trade regimes are depoliticized if detached from the underlying social relations of production, suggesting that meaningful change requires transcending capitalism's exploitative structures rather than merely shifting trade policies.