Foreign economic policy is an area in which U.S. leaders have long had to balance values and interests. This chapter examines the historical evolution of U.S. foreign economic policy from the first century, when economic issues were a matter of domestic policy, to postwar period when the U.S. emerged as a global economic leader with an interest in advancing liberal economic values. The chapter examines the U.S. response to the 2008 financial crisis, U.S. trade policy, and the emergence of Brazil, Russia, India, and China as competing economic powers. Key terms include: BRICS, embedded liberalism, free trade, monetary policy, protectionism, tariffs, and Washington Consensus.