Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Expert on U.S. Economic Competitiveness, Trade, & Immigration

Seattle, WA, USA
Live Event: $5,000 - $10,000 Virtual Event: $5,000 - $10,000 More Fee Info

Edward Alden Biography

Edward Alden is senior fellow at the Council on Fore­­­ign Relations (CFR), specializing in U.S. economic competitiveness, trade, and immigration policy. His latest book is When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders, co-authored with Laurie Trautman. The book explores how the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented border closures worldwide, and details the serious human consequences that followed. It argues that even as states are increasingly resorting to border restrictions, they are inadequate for addressing pandemics, drugs, migration and other external challenges.

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, Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy, focuses on the federal government’s failure to respond effectively to competitive challenges on issues such as trade, currency, worker retraining, education, and infrastructure. His earlier work, 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. He is a columnist for Foreign Policy, and his work has been published in Foreign Affairs, 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.

BOOK Edward Alden

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 06/30/2025.

Edward Alden Videos

Trump's Immigration Policy, with Edward Alden

Trump's Immigration Policy, with Edward Alden

Edward Alden senior fellow at CFR and co-author of "When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders"

Edward Alden on U.S. Trade Policy

Edward Alden on U.S. Trade Policy

Edward Alden: Trade Wars and the Global Trading Order: Reform or Collapse?

Edward Alden: Trade Wars and the Global Trading Order: Reform or Collapse?

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  • What topics does Edward Alden speak about?

    Edward Alden is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Business, Economy, Government, Immigration, Political, Security & Defense, World Affairs
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Edward Alden is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Edward Alden for your event is available upon request. Edward Alden generally travels from Seattle, WA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Anil Gupta, Jason Schenker, Joseph Stiglitz, Hamish McRae and Bill Browder. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Edward Alden for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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