Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, these are all countries that the West has moral qualms over.  And yet, despite some selective economic sanctions, Europe and the US continue to heavily trade with them. Is this a sign of hypocrisy and weakness on the part of Western leaders? Or is morality simply not a good guide to foreign policy? Politician, journalist and academic Lord Andrew Adonis, one of the U.K.’s leading economists John Kay, and macroeconomist, novelist and former UN humanitarian Janne Teller, recently debated the moral perils of international trade at the HowTheLightGetsIn festival in London.

Several years ago, when it was clear that Saudi Arabia had been systematically brutalizing its female and homosexual population, the BBC’s weekly current affairs show, ‘The Big Question’, ran a debate with the question ‘Should the UK cut ties with Saudi Arabia?’

One of the panelists was the now famous right-wing author and journalist Douglas Murray. When Murray was posed this question directly by the host Nicky Campbell he answered, ‘It’s not that simple…we can’t just cut ties with Saudi Arabia…if we do other countries…far worse countries, will simply take our place’. His response was met by a sea of collective groans, but also a mild smattering of applause. Murray had touched on a very pertinent problem at the heart of Western economics. Prosperity often comes at the cost of trading with everyone, even those who commit atrocities.