CFR Welcomes Edward Fishman as Senior Fellow and Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is pleased to welcome Edward Fishman to the David Rockefeller Studies Program, CFR’s think tank, as senior fellow and director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.  

A leading authority on economic statecraft and author of the New York Times bestselling book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, Mr. Fishman brings experience spanning government service, the technology industry, media, and academia. As director of the Greenberg Center, Mr. Fishman will lead CFR’s cross-cutting work that examines how economic and geopolitical forces interact to influence global affairs. His research will focus on how states leverage economic power to advance national interests and how geoeconomic competition is reshaping the global economy, the business environment, and the international order. Mr. Fishman previously worked at CFR as an editor for Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2013.  

“I am delighted to welcome Eddie back to the Council,” said CFR President Michael Froman. “His expertise in international economic policy will strengthen CFR’s mission to provide policymakers and the public with policy-relevant ideas and analysis on the intersection of a wide range of geoeconomic issues at a time of great change—from trade, energy and climate change, and immigration to global monetary and fiscal policy and international financial markets and capital flows.” 

Mr. Fishman is also an adjunct professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University and a senior research scholar at the university’s Center on Global Energy Policy. He was a member of CFR's recent Task Force on Economic Security. 

“We are fortunate to have Eddie join the Studies Program,” said Shannon K. O’Neil, senior vice president of studies and Maurice R. Greenberg chair. “His experience in economic policy will help lead the program’s work, support and grow a strong team of fellows, and ensure CFR continues to offer actionable policies.” 

Mr. Fishman has held several foreign policy roles in the U.S. government, including serving as a member of the secretary of state’s policy planning staff. In that role, he advised Secretary of State John Kerry on Europe and Eurasia and led the staff’s work on economic sanctions, long-range strategic planning, and international order and norms.  

Prior to that, Mr. Fishman served as the Russia and Europe lead in the State Department’s Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation, helping design and negotiate international sanctions against Russia, and as a member of the Iran sanctions team, developing policies to strengthen sanctions against Iran during international nuclear negotiations. He also served as special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and as special assistant to the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department.  

In the private sector, Mr. Fishman has worked in operating roles at technology companies including Via and Zoox. He also actively invests in and advises mission-driven, early-stage technology firms that aim to improve American society and advance U.S. national interests. 

Mr. Fishman’s writings have appeared in outlets including the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, and he appears regularly as an expert commentator on television and radio programs. 

Mr. Fishman holds a BA in history from Yale University, an MPhil in international relations from the University of Cambridge, and an MBA from Stanford University.