
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
Australia Laments Bureaucratic ‘Permafrost’ That’s Slowing Aukus Security Alliance
Charles Edel in Bloomberg — May 23, 2023
Biden seals 3 deals in Pacific islands as U.S. competes with China
Charles Edel in Axios — May 22, 2023
Postponement of Biden's Australia, PNG Visit Raises Criticism
Charles Edel in Voice of America — May 18, 2023
Biden brings debt crisis burden with him to G-7 summit
Charles Edel in Politico — May 17, 2023
Biden Cancels PNG, Australia Trips for Talks Over US Debt Ceiling
Charles Edel in Voice of America — May 16, 2023
The U.S. hopes an old WWII naval base in Papua New Guinea will give it an edge on China
Charles Edel in Semafor — May 16, 2023
Debt ceiling impasse puts Biden Australia trip at risk
Charles Edel in The Australian — May 10, 2023
U.S. to strike economic deal with Pacific islands to counter China
Charles Edel in Nikkei Asia — April 21, 2023
All content by Charles Edel
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A Conversation with Sir Angus Houston, Co-Lead of Australia's New Defence Strategic Review
Event by Charles Edel , William S. Cohen , and Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret’d) — May 17, 2023
The Case for an Australian National Security Strategy
Event by Charles Edel , William Inboden , Rory Medcalf , and Heather Smith — May 15, 2023
Press Briefing: Previewing Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney
Event by Charles Edel , Nicholas Szechenyi , Erin L. Murphy , and Richard M. Rossow — May 10, 2023
Allies and Geopolitical Competition in the Indo-Pacific Region
Event by and John J. Hamre , Michael J. Green , Peter Dean , Miah Hammond-Errey , Victor Cha , Charles Edel , John Kunkel , Hayley Channer , Gerard DiPippo , Emily Benson , Matthew P. Goodman — May 4, 2023
AUKUS and Australia’s Evolving Role in the Indo-Pacific with Charles Edel
Podcast Episode by Gregory B. Poling , Charles Edel , and Karen Lee — April 6, 2023

Book Event: White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan
Event by Charles Edel , Eliot A. Cohen , Emily Harding , and Mick Ryan — March 30, 2023
The Future of AUKUS with Admiral Harry Harris Jr., USN (Ret.)
Event by Seth G. Jones , Vice Admiral Peter H. Daly, USN (Ret.) , Admiral Harry Harris Jr., USN (Ret.) , and Charles Edel — March 30, 2023
AUKUS: Strategic Convergence
Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Charles Edel — March 16, 2023

The United States, Britain, and Australia Announce the Path Forward for AUKUS
Critical Questions by Charles Edel — March 16, 2023
Press Briefing: Previewing AUKUS Leaders' Meeting
Event by Charles Edel , Max Bergmann , Emily Harding , and Kelsey Hartigan — March 10, 2023