Emily Benson

Director, Project on Trade and Technology and Senior Fellow, Scholl Chair in International Business
Emily Benson

Emily Benson is director of Project on Trade and Technology, and senior fellow of Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she focuses on trade, investment, and technology issues primarily in the transatlantic context. Prior to joining CSIS, she managed transatlantic legislative relations at a European foundation, focusing on trade relations and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. She also worked to combat money laundering via the illicit flow of art from conflict zones and spent several years at an international law firm focused on sanctions and export controls. During graduate school, Emily spent a summer in the trade section at the EU Delegation to the United States, working on digital regulation and trade remedies. Her commentary and research have appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, and Politico, and she is regularly quoted in domestic and international news outlets. She received her joint BA in international affairs and political science from the University of Colorado and her MA in political science from the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Fluent in French, Emily has lived abroad in France, Indonesia, and Switzerland.

Programs & Projects

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Emily Benson's Reports

Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Optimizing Export Controls for Critical and Emerging Technologies

When it comes to export controls on critical and emerging technologies, the United States must focus on regulating items essential to national security while permitting the growth of industries that do not aid foreign military capabilities.

Report by William Alan Reinsch , Emily Benson , Thibault Denamiel , and Margot Putnam — May 31, 2023

Emily Benson's Analysis

Photo: JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images

Assessing IPEF’s New Supply Chains Agreement

The CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business evaluate the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity’s (IPEF) first agreement on supply chains.

Critical Questions by Aidan Arasasingham , Emily Benson , Matthew P. Goodman , and William Alan Reinsch — May 31, 2023

In the News

All content by Emily Benson

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CSDS-CSIS Transatlantic Dialogue on the Indo-Pacific

CSIS and the Centre for Security, Diplomacy, and Strategy (CSDS) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels School of Governance co-organized the annual Transatlantic Dialogue on the Indo-Pacific to provide new perspectives on the ongoing debates on transatlantic cooperation on the Indo-Pacific region.

Event by Christopher B. Johnstone , Luis Simón , and Gunnar Wiegand , Kurt Campbell , Michael Reiterer , Matthew P. Goodman , Shihoko Goto , Ramon Pacheco Pardo , Emily Benson , Eva Pejsova , Céline Pajon , Yuki Tatsumi , Jeffrey Hornung — June 7, 2023

Assessing IPEF’s New Supply Chains Agreement

The CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business evaluate the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity’s (IPEF) first agreement on supply chains.

Critical Questions by Aidan Arasasingham , Emily Benson , Matthew P. Goodman , and William Alan Reinsch — May 31, 2023

Optimizing Export Controls for Critical and Emerging Technologies

When it comes to export controls on critical and emerging technologies, the United States must focus on regulating items essential to national security while permitting the growth of industries that do not aid foreign military capabilities.

Report by William Alan Reinsch , Emily Benson , Thibault Denamiel , and Margot Putnam — May 31, 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

The United States Prepares to Screen Outbound Investment

The Biden administration is likely to release an executive order establishing an outbound investment screening mechanism. Combined with broadening export controls, screening outbound capital flows underscores a new frontier in economic security and technology policy.

Commentary by Emily Benson and Margot Putnam — April 27, 2023

Export Controls and Intangible Goods

The intangible goods economy is replete with AI systems and spyware, but the current export control system has not kept up. The United States and multilateral systems merit a significant upgrade, particularly to deal with intangible goods flows.

Critical Questions by Emily Benson and Margot Putnam — April 11, 2023

The United Kingdom Is Joining the CPTPP. What Comes Next?

The United Kingdom’s imminent acceptance into the CPTPP represents a significant victory for post-Brexit U.K. leadership. However, CPTPP members now face difficult decisions about the applications of five other economies—including China and Taiwan.

Critical Questions by Aidan Arasasingham , Emily Benson , Matthew P. Goodman , and William Alan Reinsch — March 31, 2023

Progress Continues on IPEF Negotiations in Bali

The CSIS Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business examine progress made at the second full negotiating round of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) in Bali.

Critical Questions by Aidan Arasasingham , Emily Benson , Matthew P. Goodman , and William Alan Reinsch — March 22, 2023