home > the cfr think tank > experts > edward alden
Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-202-509-8474
E-mail: ealden@cfr.org
Location:
Washington
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 47K)
One-page bio (PDF, 52K)
Former Washington bureau chief at the Financial Times. Latest book, The Closing of the American Border, examines U.S. visa and border policies in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Expertise:U.S. economic competitiveness; U.S. trade policy; visa and immigration policy.
Honors:Society of Publishers in Asia, Award for Editorial Excellence in Explanatory Reporting for stories on China's RMB Revaluation in the Financial Times (2006); British Columbia Newspaper Award for General Excellence, "The New Face of Labor," Vancouver Sun (1997); Canadian National Magazine Awards, silver medal (1986), gold medal (1984); Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation Fellowship (1989); MacArthur Foundation Graduate Fellowship (1986); Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities (1986).
Interviews and Discussions:
New York Times: "The Big Picture Beyond Arizona's Law" (letter to the editor; May 8, 2010)
UC Berkeley Conversations with History: "Terrorism, immigration and security since 9/11" (video; November 21, 2008)
Zócalo Public Square: "How 9/11 transformed American immigration policy" (video; November 19, 2008)
World Affairs Council of Northern California: "Welcome to America? Security and immigration in a post-9/11 United States" (audio; November 17, 2008)
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
July 28, 2010
First Take
The federal judge's decision to block the toughest measures in Arizona's new immigration law properly puts the focus back on Washington, where a political deal is needed, says CFR's Edward Alden.
See more in United States, Immigration
July 27, 2010
Article
World Politics Review
Edward Alden writes that skilled workers, frustrated by the tight U.S. quotas on work visas and the long waits for permanent residency, are being lured by other countries that have overhauled their immigration laws and promise a smoother transition to a new life.
See more in Immigration
July 20, 2010
Academic Module
Featuring teaching notes by Edward Alden, director of this CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy, this academic module includes additional resources to supplement the teaching of the text in the classroom. This report warns that the failure to reform dysfunctional immigration laws and procedures threatens to harm the U.S. economy, complicate diplomacy, and weaken national security. It argues that maintaining America’s political and economic leadership depends on attracting talented and hard-working immigrants and on securing the country’s borders in a smart, effective, and humane way.
July 1, 2010
First Take
President Obama's first big speech on immigration reform missed opportunities to chart a political roadmap for new legislation and failed to reframe the issue's security implications, writes CFR's Edward Alden.
See more in United States, Immigration
June 2, 2010
Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
Edward Alden writes that "unless we begin a sensible debate on what a secure border means, and how to get there, badly needed immigration legislation will forever be hostage to an elusive goal."
See more in Immigration
May 28, 2010
Op-Ed
New America Media
Edward Alden says that the real threat to U.S. national security is not the people we fail to keep out but those we fail to invite in.
See more in Immigration
May 4, 2010
Audio
CFR's Edward Alden analyzes the national implications of Arizona's immigration bill as part of the State and Local Officials Conference Call series.
See more in Immigration
April 30, 2010
First Take
Despite the political environment surrounding Senate Democrats' new immigration reform outline, it provides a serious basis for moving forward on a crucial issue, says CFR's Edward Alden.
See more in Border and Ports
April 29, 2010
Audio
Listen to Edward Alden discuss Arizona's controversial new immigration law and its implications for comprehensive immigration reform.
See more in United States, Border and Ports, Immigration
April 29, 2010
Transcript
CFR Senior Fellow Edward Alden discusses and fields questions on the possibility of comprehensive immigration reform in this CFR media conference call.
See more in United States, Immigration
April 26, 2010
Expert Brief
Arizona's new immigration law is unwise, unworkable, and probably unconstitutional. And who's to blame? Actually, the rest of the country, writes CFR's Edward Alden.
See more in United States, Immigration
March 25, 2010
Testimony
Edward Alden testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security on the obstacles preventing the U.S. government from accurately identifying those who come lawfully to the United States but then overstay their terms of entry.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Immigration
March 16, 2010
Op-Ed
The Globalist
Edward Alden explains why there has been no surge in trade protectionism despite the worst economic downturn in 80 years.
See more in Trade
March 15, 2010
Article
American Prospect
Edward Alden says that the Supreme Court ruling on the terrorism case, Ashcroft v. Iqbal, makes it difficult for many other lawsuits to proceed.
See more in Terrorism and the Law
February 2, 2010
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Edward Alden says that Canada's turnaround in the 1990s from running more than two decades of budget deficits offers lessons for the United States today.
See more in Geoeconomics
January 28, 2010
Expert Roundup
President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address focused heavily, as expected, on domestic economic recovery and reasserting U.S. competitiveness. Six CFR experts noted different aspects of the challenges facing Obama.
See more in United States, U.S. Strategy and Politics
January 4, 2010
Audio
Listen to CFR fellows Edward Alden and Steven Simon discuss the U.S. response to the Christmas Day bombing plot, including tighter travel restrictions enacted for citizens of 14 countries.
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Terrorism, U.S. Strategy and Politics
January 4, 2010
Expert Brief
CFR's Edward Alden says U.S. response to recent air-security failures should be to improve existing measures that identify genuine threats instead of imposing "knee-jerk initiatives that look tough" but may be less effective.
See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Air Transportation Security, Terrorism
January 4, 2010
Transcript
CFR fellows, Edward Alden and Steven Simon, discuss the Christmas day bomb plot and the U.S. government's response to terror threats.
See more in United States, Terrorism, Counterterrorism, Terrorist Attacks
December 28, 2009
Op-Ed
New America Media
Edward Alden discusses the Obama administration's quiet overhaul of immigration policies.
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Immigration, U.S. Strategy and Politics
CFR experts give their take on the cutting-edge issues emerging in Asia today.
Read the Blog Asia Unbound
Michael Levi examines the science and foreign policy surrounding climate change, energy, and nuclear security. Read the Blog
Explore the global health regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Explore the past, present, and future of nuclear energy with this new online interactive.
Micah Zenko examines the discrete military operations undertaken by the United States over the past twenty years to discern why they were used, if they achieved their objectives, and what determined their success or failure.
Sebastian Mallaby has written the first authoritative history of hedge funds—from their rebel beginnings to their role in defining the future of finance.
Peter Beinart tells a tale as old as the Greeks—a story about the seductions of success.
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