MrMillion: Boeing and other US defense contractors don't exactly operate in a free market either. Furthermore, American lobbying groups are much more effective --due in part to their longstanding existence and in part to the fact that they only need to direct their actions towards one government -- than their European counterparts. There was yet another "Economist" article on Boeing v. Airbus yesterday:
http://economist.com/printedition/di...ory_ID=1098829