This Independent Task Force report encourages the Obama administration and Congress to adopt a "pro-America" trade policy that brings to more Americans the benefits of global engagement.

This Task Force report offers a strategy for maintaining America's political and economic leadership by attracting skilled immigrants, a program of legalization for those living in the United States illegally, and steps for securing the country's borders in an effective and humane way.

Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration's struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Edward Alden discusses the struggle to overcome the legacy of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act and argues that increases in border enforcement over the past thirty years may be the strongest argument for why immigration reform in 2013 would not be a repeat of 1986.

Washington claims that the country's borders are more secure than ever, but the truth is that no one knows for sure.

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.

This module features teaching notes by CFR Senior Fellow Edward Alden, author of The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this book, Mr. Alden examines the complicated interplay between the United States' need for homeland security and economic openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Edward Alden writes that the U.S.-European Union Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations are "the biggest consolation prize in the history of international trade liberalization."

Edward Alden discusses a new assessment from the Government Accountability Office, which concludes that crossing U.S. borders illegally has become far more difficult than the American public realizes.

Edward Alden argues that, though more by accident than design, the Obama administration is now in the position to successfully conclude the most ambitious series of trade deals since the early 1990s.

Edward Alden discusses the mixed views of U.S. voters on trade and the damaging effect criticism of Chinese trade practices on the campaign trail has on U.S. attempts to court Chinese investment.

Edward Alden says that as the United States has for the past two decades pursued securing the nation's borders against illegal immigration, the more serious threat to U.S. national security is that ill-conceived or poorly implemented border controls will do lasting damage to the U.S. economy.

Edward Alden says recent progress in the use of biometrics in border control is impressive, but the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department need to tell travelers what is in store.

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.

Edward Alden says that the Supreme Court ruling on the terrorism case, Ashcroft v. Iqbal, makes it difficult for many other lawsuits to proceed.

Edward Alden writes that the Department of Homeland Security "has yet to become a whole that adds up to more than its parts," reviewing books by its first two secretaries, Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff.

In this excerpt from The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden writes that George Bush came to office as the most pro-immigrant president in modern U.S. history. Yet he presided over a war on terrorism that has been waged through anti-immigrant measures.

American policymakers have long been concerned about the eroding U.S. advantage in educating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students. With much of the assembly work for lucrative high-technology products having moved to Asia, future U.S. prosperity depends increasingly on innovating new products and techniques—innovation that requires training (or importing) a new generation of scientists and engineers.

Read full answer

Globalization refers to the increasing ease with which goods, services, capital and people can move across the world, which has been accelerated by advances in technology and government policies to reduce barriers. In terms of reducing poverty in as many countries as possible, there is no question that globalizationcontinues to be beneficial, even after the 2008 financial crisis. Poverty continues to fall worldwide at a rapid rate, and countries most integrated into the world economy have seen the biggest reductions in poverty. But it is also true that even before the crisis, the gains from globalization were not spread evenly. Though millions have been lifted out of poverty and everyone benefits from cheaper consumer goods and the opening of new export markets, there are still winners and losers.

Read full answer

Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration's struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The new U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement has the potential to measurably spur the economy and reassure a top U.S. ally, but President Obama needs to take firmer steps to boost a flagging trade agenda, write CFR's Edward Alden and Scott Snyder.

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.

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.