Yes, the unhelpful part of these simplistic examples is that they show Comparative Advantage as a property that arises from the ether. It just happens to be that my island has easily accessible bananas and yours has easily accessible coconuts or whatever. But modern trade is more often about complex products where comparative advantage isn't a byproduct of the natural world but a created situation. So we're left with the question: Where does comparative advantage come from? And the answer is that it comes from lots of different factors but sometimes, in some cases, one of those factors is protectionism. And that complicates the whole thing. It could be that your island has a CA in computer chips and mine has a CA in McDonald's toys. It could also be that the inhabitants of my island don't like that scenario and think they might be happier if they had the CA in computer chips and yours had the CA in McDonald's toys. So what can I do to make that the case?
These toy examples are useful as an introduction but basically irrelevant to modern political debates around economics, we need to move past discussing trade like we do in "Econ 101."
These toy examples are useful as an introduction but basically irrelevant to modern political debates around economics, we need to move past discussing trade like we do in "Econ 101."