The fundamentals of international trade and the balance of payments are well known. Unfortuntely, they are often sadly neglected by policy makers and not well understood by journalists who opine on such maters. As a result, politicians advocate a variety of tax and trade measures that sound desirable but not only cannot be achieved but actually harm the economy. This book is designed to lay out the fundamentals that must be present for policy to work as intended. The material was tested and refined over an 11 year period on more than 150 students, most of whom had a minimal training in economics. The book is intended for those who have a serious interest in policy dealing with international trade and finance. While the subject matter has not been made simple, it has been made clear.