Protectionism 's the economic policy of restraining trade between states, through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other restrictive government regulations designed to discourage imports, and prevent foreign take-over of local markets and companies. This policy's closely aligned with anti-globalization, and contrasts with free trade, where government barriers to trade are kept to a minimum. The term's mostly used in the context of economics, where… (More on Protectionism)