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Expert Bio
Edward Alden is Bernard L. Schwartz senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), specializing in U.S. economic competitiveness, trade, and immigration policy. He is the author of the book Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy, which focuses on the federal government’s failure to respond effectively to competitive challenges on issues such as trade, currency, worker retraining, education, and infrastructure.
Alden recently served as the project director of a CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force, co-chaired by former Michigan Governor John Engler and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, which produced the report The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century. In 2011, he was the project codirector of the Independent Task Force that produced U.S. Trade and Investment Policy. In 2009, he was the project director of the Independent Task Force that produced U.S. Immigration Policy.
Alden’s previous book, The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11, was a finalist for the Lukas Book Prize, for narrative nonfiction in 2009. The jury called Alden’s book “a masterful job of comprehensive reporting, fair-minded analysis, and structurally sound argumentation.”
Alden was previously the Washington bureau chief for the Financial Times, and prior to that was the newspaper’s Canada bureau chief, based in Toronto. He worked as a reporter at the Vancouver Sun and was the managing editor of the newsletter Inside U.S. Trade, widely recognized as a leading source of reporting on U.S. trade policies. Alden has won several national and international awards for his reporting. He has made numerous TV and radio appearances as an analyst on political and economic issues, including on the BBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, and PBS NewsHour. His work has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Fortune, the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Toronto Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Alden has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of California, Berkeley. He pursued doctoral studies before returning to a journalism career. Alden is the winner of numerous academic awards, including a Mellon fellowship in the humanities and a MacArthur Foundation graduate fellowship.
Affiliations
- Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, advisory council member
- Foreign Policy, monthly columnist
- Journal on Migration and Human Security, editorial board
- Washington Campus, faculty
- Western Washington University, Ross distinguished visiting professor
Current Projects
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Congress misses a major opportunity to pass immigration reforms that would help the United States compete.
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Soaring inflation is just one reason for Washington to keep global disintegration in check.
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Those entering the United States at Peace Arch and other western border ports of entry are facing a stepped up enforcement regime that creates significant risks for all southbound travelers.
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The trade war between the United States and China has entered a new and dangerous phase.
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The Democratic candidate has laid out a comprehensive trade policy, but it speaks more to party activists than to voters.
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Despite the president's diplomatic drama, U.S. interests will likely, in the end, decide policy.
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If the president succeeds, he will be free to slap tariffs on any country or any product at any time for whatever reason he dreams up.
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International trade isn’t the problem—it’s Republican trade policies that have empowered corporations while leaving American workers behind.
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U.S. president struggling to squeeze tough deal out of Japan.
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Robert Lighthizer has been railing against China’s bad behavior for decades. Now, he has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make it stop.
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Trump must not play security card in China trade war.
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Asia must accept that Democrat House win will not upset America First approach.
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Big obstacles remain but surprise move offers hope.
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The idea of targeting President Trump's personal assets may be tempting, but it is the wrong approach.
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The president has been clear about his protectionist views. Why didn’t anyone listen?
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Accord focused on soybeans and gas does nothing about huge tech-sector challenges.