Alex Kisling is the chief communications officer at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he leads the center’s communications strategy and oversees its press, digital and social media, broadcasting, publications, and congressional affairs operations. In this role, he drives efforts to expand CSIS’s reach and impact, ensuring that the center’s research and convenings inform policymakers, the media, and the public. Kisling works closely with CSIS leadership, scholars, and partners to amplify the institution’s voice on the most pressing global issues.

Kisling previously served as CSIS’s vice president of communications. Before joining CSIS, he was the director of strategic communications at the Atlantic Council, where he served as spokesman, managed media relations, and coordinated comprehensive communications planning across the council’s programs. Earlier in his career, Kisling spent nearly a decade at the public affairs firms Kivvit (now Avoq) and Public Strategies Washington, where he developed and managed high-profile strategic communications and public policy advocacy campaigns that shaped policymaker opinion in Washington and across the nation. He began his career as a congressional aide on Capitol Hill.

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The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) announced the appointment of Alex Kisling as chief communications officer.

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Executive Education

Inside Washington: A Decoding D.C. Crash Course

Inside Washington is a program for professionals seeking a deeper understanding of the policy process in Washington, D.C. Participants will examine the formal structures and informal networks that shape policy outcomes and learn how to apply these insights to their work.

Course Date: September 8, 2026
Registration Closes: August 31, 2026
The Trade Guys

Senate Farm Bill, Currency Markets, and Forced Labor

Bill and Scott break down the trade provisions of the Senate Farm Bill, the U.S.-Japan intervention in currency markets, and the Trump administration's latest enforcement actions targeting goods linked to forced labor.

Podcast Episode by Alex Kisling, Scott Miller, and William Alan Reinsch — August 10, 2026

CSIS The Trade Guys
The Trade Guys

Tariffs, Tariffs, Tariffs: Sections 338 & 301 and the Russia Sanctions Bill

Bill and Scott discuss the Trump administration's proposed new tariffs on Canada under Section 338, the implementation of Section 301 tariffs on more than 80 countries, and the Russia Sanctions Bill currently making its way through Congress.

Podcast Episode by Alex Kisling, Scott Miller, and William Alan Reinsch — August 3, 2026

CSIS The Trade Guys
The Trade Guys

Section 301 Tariffs and Digital Services Taxes in Europe

Bill and Scott unpack the latest developments around the Trump administration's Section 301 tariffs and take a look at the state of digital services taxes in Europe following President Trump's recent threat to impose 100% tariffs on countries that move forward with those taxes.

Podcast Episode by Alex Kisling, Scott Miller, and William Alan Reinsch — July 13, 2026

CSIS The Trade Guys
The Trade Guys

Customs Enforcement and Section 232 and 301 Tariffs

The Trade Guys unpack the latest White House executive order on customs enforcement. They also give an update on the Trump administration's use of Section 232 and Section 301 as tools in its broader tariff strategy.

Podcast Episode by Alex Kisling, Scott Miller, and William Alan Reinsch — June 15, 2026

CSIS The Trade Guys
The Trade Guys

China's Retaliatory Tariffs, Section 301 Authorities, and Tariff Refund Litigation

Bill and Scott discuss the impacts of Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural and other trade, the Trump administration's continued efforts to implement Section 301 tariffs, and the ongoing tariff refund litigation.

Podcast Episode by Alex Kisling, Scott Miller, and William Alan Reinsch — June 9, 2026

CSIS The Trade Guys