In terms of national economies, international trade is most certainly not a zero-sum game in which one country wins at the expense of another. It is safe to say that politicians and academics in the past neglected to devote enough attention to how it is precisely the less qualified members of the workforce who feel the competitive pressure stemming from international trade.
That’s not to say that protectionism and insularity are a great deal of help here – especially since technical progress has much the same impact on lower-skilled workers in closed markets as well. The right course of action is to enable citizens to participate in the rewards of globalisation.