Charles Edel is a senior adviser and the inaugural Australia Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He previously taught at the University of Sydney, where he was also a senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre. Prior to that, Dr. Edel was a professor of strategy and policy at the U.S. Naval War College and served on the U.S. secretary of state’s Policy Planning Staff from 2015 to 2017. In that role, he advised the secretary of state on political and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region. He has also been a global fellow at the Wilson Center and a Henry Luce scholar at Peking University's Center for International and Strategic Studies, and he was awarded the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship. He is the coauthor of The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order (Yale University Press, 2019) and author of Nation Builder: John Quincy Adams and the Grand Strategy of the Republic (Harvard University Press, 2014). Currently, he is working on a book examining the United States' history of dealing with authoritarian regimes. In addition to his scholarly publications, his writings appear in the Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and various other outlets. He also regularly offers foreign policy commentary on television and radio, including CNBC, ABC, Sky News, Australia’s RN, and NPR. He is a New York native and former high school history teacher in New York City, as well as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserves. Dr. Edel holds a PhD in history from Yale University and received a BA in classics from Yale College.
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In the News
US Senate passes funds for Pacific island nations after congressional delays
Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik in South China Morning Post — March 9, 2024
Why More American Weapons Will Soon Be Made Outside America
Charles Edel in The New York Times — March 1, 2024
Brussels Indo-Pacific Dialogue: On Economic Security, Future of Alliances and More
Charles Edel in CSDS-Asia Matters Podcast — February 20, 2024
U.S. Congress aid fight gives opening to China in Pacific, critics say
Charles Edel in The Nikkei — February 8, 2024
Even without Trump, America is becoming unreliable
Kathryn Paik and Charles Edel in The Sydney Morning Herald — February 6, 2024
Clock running for US to renew pact with key Pacific islands
Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik in Australian Broadcasting Corporation — February 6, 2024
A second Donald Trump presidency could lead US allies to pursue ‘more independent policies’: analysts
Charles Edel in South China Morning Post — January 17, 2024
Nauru’s China switch adds to Pacific pressures
Charles Edel in Newsroom — January 16, 2024
All Charles Edel Content
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A Conversation with the AUKUS Army Chiefs on Land Power’s Contribution to AUKUS Pillar 2
Event — March 11, 2024
Strengthening Australia-U.S. Defence Industrial Cooperation: Keynote by Deputy Secretary Hugh Jeffrey
Event — March 5, 2024
U.S. Leadership in the Pacific Is at Risk
Commentary by Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik — March 5, 2024
POSTPONED: A Conversation with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on U.S. Diplomacy in the Pacific Islands
Event — February 20, 2024
The Compacts of Free Association, Congress, and Strategic Competition for the Pacific
Commentary by Charles Edel and Kathryn Paik — January 31, 2024
2024 Global Forecast: The China Challenge
Digital Report by Victor Cha, Gregory C. Allen, Scott Kennedy, Seth G. Jones, Kari A. Bingen, and Heather Williams, Tom Karako, Bonny Lin, Jude Blanchette, Charles Edel, Christopher B. Johnstone, Nicholas Szechenyi, Lily McElwee, Daniel F. Runde, Craig Cohen, Alex Kisling — January 25, 2024
Audio Brief: The Role of Allies in Sustaining Deterrence of China with Charles Edel
Podcast Episode by Charles Edel — January 25, 2024
Indo-Pacific Forecast 2024
Event — January 16, 2024
Security in the Western Pacific: Building Future Capabilities in the Time of AUKUS
Event — January 12, 2024
A New Starting Point? The State of Australia-China Relations
Event — November 16, 2023