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

Areas of Expertise

Media Queries

Emily Benson's Reports

Emily Benson's Analysis

Photo: DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Photo: DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Evaluating Chip Overcapacity and the Transatlantic Trade Tool Kit

A topic of growing prominence in the transatlantic policymaking arena is to what extent Chinese overcapacity of legacy (“mainstream”) chips is or will become a problem and, if it is a problem, what to do about it.

Commentary by Emily Benson, Catharine Mouradian, and Pau Alvarez-Aragones — April 5, 2024

In the News

All Emily Benson Content

Filter by

31 - 40 of 116 results
New Shores

New Shores Episode Five: Toward a New Model for Global Trade

In the weeks following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there was a flurry of articles, commentaries and videos predicting that the event signaled the end of globalization. Part of this prediction was based on policymakers and business leaders seeing the risks of global supply chains in countries with dissimilar political, economic and human rights alignments. What does the push to onshore and friend shore clean energy supply chains mean for global trade? How can trade be used as a tool to address climate change? 

Podcast Episode by Allegra Dawes, Jayme White, Peter Rashish, Colin Grabow, David Victor , and Emily Benson — October 26, 2023

Photo: iLab/CSIS

China’s New Graphite Restrictions

On October 20, in response to the widened U.S. semiconductor controls, China announced a new set of export restrictions on certain graphite products, which are key for EV battery manufacturing.

Commentary by Emily Benson and Thibault Denamiel — October 23, 2023

Updated October 7 Semiconductor Export Controls

The Biden administration has put forth three new rules that close gaps in the October 7, 2022, export controls on advanced AI chips. The goal post has not moved, although the methods of achieving the original intentions have widened significantly.

Commentary by Emily Benson — October 18, 2023

Press Briefing: Previewing U.S.- EU Summit

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a call-in press briefing on Friday, October 13, at 9:30 a.m. ET, to preview the upcoming U.S.- EU Summit, which will take place on October 20 at the White House

Event — October 13, 2023

Allied Perspectives on Semiconductor Export Controls

As the one-year anniversary of the October 7 semiconductor export controls nears, CSIS brought together representatives from the U.S.'s allies to share a global perspective on the "new oil" in geopolitics.

Event — October 2, 2023

The Developments in Climate and Trade Policy

Join CSIS for a livestream event to discuss trade and climate policy developments and the undercurrents of climate and industrial policy that are driving them.  

Event — September 29, 2023

CPTPP and the Future of Trade in the Indo-Pacific

Please join the CSIS Project on Trade and Technology and the Economics Program for a conversation with Vangelis Vitalis, New Zealand's Deputy Secretary for Trade and Economics and Crawford Falconer, the UK's Second Permanent Secretary and Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser. The event will review New Zealand's host year of CPTPP, unpack the UK's accession into the free trade agreement, and discuss the future of trade in the Indo-Pacific. 

Event — September 20, 2023

The Fall 2023 Geoeconomic Agenda: What to Expect

This year has already been geopolitically dynamic. As the fall summit season kicks off, CSIS highlights some of the key events to follow and how they stand to impact the nexus of geopolitics, trade, and technology. 

Commentary by Emily Benson and Catharine Mouradian — September 6, 2023

Press Briefing: Previewing the Camp David Trilateral Summit

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a call-in press briefing on Monday, August 14, at 2:30 p.m. EDT, to preview the first stand alone trilateral summit between President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, and President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Event — August 14, 2023