On one hand I find the arguments based on devision of labor very conviencing.
I think the first description of this was Adam Smith about Portuguese Wine and English Cloth. This is good for the economy long term and in macro - without a doubt.
On the other hand I think protectionism can lead to more resilient economies since they are less intertwined and more redundant jobs/supplylines.
I thought about this yesterday and can't come to a conclusion.
Resilience requires the freedom to think freely. protectionism doesn't promote free thought. Or competition ;)
does encourage war, however.
And requires violence to establish and maintain.
Ethically, I'd prefer we freely interact. Pragmatically, it's just a decision where there are tradeoffs, and the tradeoffs are context sensitive.
Depends on the country & region.
Some are abundant in resources (Australia)
Others need to import everything (Saudi Arabia).
There arent many that have it all so some degree of globalization will need to continue