In summary, economic reasoning alone cannot determine whether FTAs are an advisable path to take to an eventual goal of multilateral free trade. Foreign policy and tactical considerations are also important. Multilateral free trade is the most desirable trade policy from the standpoint of overall U.S. economic productivity and efficiency. FTAs are similarly beneficial, but to a lesser degree, provided that they do not result in too much trade diversion (and, as noted earlier, trade diversion disappears as more countries are covered by such agreements).