President Obama’s national security adviser Ton Donilon makes the free-trade case for national security when he advocates the passage of  three bilateral trade agreements recently submitted to Congress (Panama, Colombia and South Korea). He argues passage will signal our commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and demonstrate American strength and resolve. He argues these trade agreements  complement our political and military ties to these nations. I wonder if a better argument would be that bilateral trade agreements significantly support  economic development of countries and that is what  is important to American national interests.