[[Free trade]] was historically considered the opposite of protectionism; however, modern free trade ''agreements'' (such as [[NAFTA]]) consist of the presence of laws rather than the absence of them, which could be interpreted as protectionism. | [[Free trade]] was historically considered the opposite of protectionism; however, modern free trade ''agreements'' (such as [[NAFTA]]) consist of the presence of laws rather than the absence of them, which could be interpreted as protectionism. |