Charles Edel

Senior Adviser and Australia Chair
Charles Edel

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.

Programs & Projects

Areas of Expertise

Media Queries

In the News

All content by Charles Edel

Filter by

1 - 10 of 42 results

Press Briefing: Previewing Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a call-in press briefing to preview the Quad Leaders’ Summit to take place on May 24 in Sydney, Australia.

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

Please join the experts from CSIS and USSC for Allies and Geopolitical Competition in the Indo-Pacific Region, a discussion of geopolitical dynamics in the Indo-Pacific and priorities for enhancing allied policy coordination across a range of economic and security challenges. 

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

Book Event: White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan

The CSIS Australia Chair cordially invites you to "Book Event: Spies and Lies: 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.)

CSIS and the U.S. Naval Institute welcomed former Admiral Harry Harris Jr. (Ret.), former Commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. Pacific Command, for a Maritime Security Dialogue discussion on the latest developments on the Australia-United Kingdom-United States security partnership, or AUKUS.

Event by Seth G. Jones , Vice Admiral Peter H. Daly, USN (Ret.) , Admiral Harry Harris Jr., USN (Ret.) , and Charles Edel — March 30, 2023

The Truth of the Matter

AUKUS: Strategic Convergence

CSIS’s Charles Edel joins the podcast to discuss AUKUS

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Charles Edel — March 16, 2023

CSIS the truth of the matter

Press Briefing: Previewing AUKUS Leaders' Meeting

Amid reports about a forthcoming announcement on AUKUS, the CSIS will host a call-in press briefing  to discuss the significance of AUKUS, key considerations around the announcement, and what it means for the international security landscape moving forward.

Event by Charles Edel , Max Bergmann , Emily Harding , and Kelsey Hartigan — March 10, 2023