When one says mercantilism, the first thought is usually the ideas of Empires protecting their interests. 'Rouge Traders' whose actions are backed by the full legal support of their countries, trade focused around a pseudo 'class' of those who can participate in trade and those who cannot. But as I reflected over the recent class discussions on the subject, a thought occurred to me, do we not have some form of mercantilism now? In a way yes, while not to the same extent as mercantilism in its golden age, even the US government offers "licenses of trade" to certain goods. Many of these goods are medical, see MRI machines and Vaccines, but regardless, the government has made the decision that these goods are to important to be exposed to the brunt of a free market economy, and so protects them in much the same way an old empire might protect its traders. While this is not full on Mercantilism, it carries some of the same downsides that the method of trade is known for. The biggest issue is that it leaves the companies protected from making mistakes or needing to progress their development. What do y'all think about Modern Mercantilism? Do you think that protecting certain companies from free market is worth it? Would we even be able to change it if it is bad? I look forward to seeing your thoughts and comments! Cheers, ~Smiley youtube.com/watch?v=HPdHkHslFIU