While many countries around the world are striving to battle the global financial crisis, a few of the heaviest hitters are hindering the effort with protectionism.

Despite bailouts worth trillions of dollars and sharp interest rate cuts, economies worldwide are sinking amid excess inventories. The key solution is to boost trade, which can be stymied by protectionism.

Developed countries’ agricultural subsidies, which total billions of dollars every year, is killing emerging countries’ agricultural products.

Developed countries also use antidumping laws to impose punitive tariffs on cheaper items imported from developing countries.

Many countries have criticized the "Buy American" provision of the US economic stimulus package that requires public works projects funded by the plan to use only US-made goods, including steel and iron, according to Reuters.

Developed countries’ “globalization” policies have helped their investment capital float easier around the globe and have also turned emerging economies into their farms and factories where production is cheap thanks to inexpensive labor and materials.

Now they have devalued their currency to boost exports and weaken imports while restricting foreign labor imports and terminating contracts with foreigners before their expiration dates.