Fareed Zakaria writes in Newsweek:

When I was in Asia last month, I was told by several officials that they found themselves in an uncomfortable position. They liked what they heard from Democrats on America's role in the world, but they were terrified by what they heard about trade. One of them, who declined to give his name for fear of giving offense, said, "Look, it's an easy call for us. We don't like the Republicans on foreign policy. We think they've been stupid and unilateral. But they are staunchly progressive on free trade and that's the most important issue for us by far." Democrats cannot plausibly hope to lead the world by abdicating America's historic role as the leader of an open global economy.

To read more:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18628576/site/newsweek/page/2/