Edward Alden
@edwardalden.bsky.social
Senior Fellow Council on Foreign Relations
Visiting Professor WWU
Co-Author: When the World Closed its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders
Visiting Professor WWU
Co-Author: When the World Closed its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders
So wonderful to watch J.J. Spaun win the U.S. Open. He and his beautiful family help me believe in this country again.
June 16, 2025 at 12:17 AM
So wonderful to watch J.J. Spaun win the U.S. Open. He and his beautiful family help me believe in this country again.
If you think trade is boring or obscure, think again. This is going to be the issue on which American democracy lives or dies.
My latest: foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/28/t...
My latest: foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/28/t...
Trump’s Tariff War Is a Test of American Democracy
Congress has a chance to reassert itself against the president’s power grab.
foreignpolicy.com
April 28, 2025 at 8:27 PM
If you think trade is boring or obscure, think again. This is going to be the issue on which American democracy lives or dies.
My latest: foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/28/t...
My latest: foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/28/t...
“The worst trade adviser any modern U.S. president has had.” Thanks to Ana Swanson for including my comments in her comprehensive profile of Peter Navarro. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/b...
Peter Navarro: The Architect of Trump’s Tariffs (Gift Article)
Once sidelined, President Trump’s counselor Peter Navarro has returned to Washington and quickly upended the global trading system.
www.nytimes.com
April 20, 2025 at 5:22 PM
“The worst trade adviser any modern U.S. president has had.” Thanks to Ana Swanson for including my comments in her comprehensive profile of Peter Navarro. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/b...
Reposted by Edward Alden
Some news for US home builders: “The U.S. is set to more than double the duty it charges on softwood lumber imports from Canada, with the planned new rate set at 34.45 per cent, up from the previous 14.54 per cent.”
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
U.S. to significantly hike softwood lumber duties, landing fresh blow to B.C. forestry industry | CBC News
The U.S. is set to more than double the duty it charges on softwood lumber imports from Canada, with the planned new rate set at 34.45 per cent, up from the previous 14.54 per cent.
www.cbc.ca
April 6, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Some news for US home builders: “The U.S. is set to more than double the duty it charges on softwood lumber imports from Canada, with the planned new rate set at 34.45 per cent, up from the previous 14.54 per cent.”
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Edward Alden
Are tariffs bad for growth? Yes, say five decades of data from 150 countries pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Are tariffs bad for growth? Yes, say five decades of data from 150 countries
The empirical evidence on the growth effects of import tariffs is sparse in the literature, notwithstanding strong views held by the public and politicians. Using an annual panel of macroeconomic data...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
March 29, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Are tariffs bad for growth? Yes, say five decades of data from 150 countries pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Reposted by Edward Alden
reality check -- Japanese negotiators in DC to try to get exemption from Trump tariffs and can't even get a meeting. Oh well. That is how allies get treated these days.
asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trad...
asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trad...
Japan grapples with next move in Trump tariff negotiations
Industry scrutinizes government's handling of economic diplomacy
asia.nikkei.com
March 29, 2025 at 11:40 PM
reality check -- Japanese negotiators in DC to try to get exemption from Trump tariffs and can't even get a meeting. Oh well. That is how allies get treated these days.
asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trad...
asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trad...
Reposted by Edward Alden
@budgetlab.bsky.social: Trump’s auto tariffs will cause vehicle prices to rise by 13.5% on average, the equivalent of an additional $6,400 to the price of an average new 2024 car. budgetlab.yale.edu/research/fis...
The Fiscal, Economic, and Distributional Effects of 25% Auto Tariffs
budgetlab.yale.edu
March 29, 2025 at 11:49 PM
@budgetlab.bsky.social: Trump’s auto tariffs will cause vehicle prices to rise by 13.5% on average, the equivalent of an additional $6,400 to the price of an average new 2024 car. budgetlab.yale.edu/research/fis...
“The world needs more grown-ups. We need more adults dude” — p 1 from The Wisdom of Mike Myers.
Fascinating to watch political communication of positive nationalism. (These are immense political ads.)
Canada is everything.
March 24, 2025 at 6:12 PM
“The world needs more grown-ups. We need more adults dude” — p 1 from The Wisdom of Mike Myers.
This Revolution of Destroyers Demands New Names via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...
This Revolution of Destroyers Demands New Names | The Tyee
Mafia state. Führer democracy. We need honest terms that signal the threat posed by Trump and his mimics.
thetyee.ca
March 24, 2025 at 4:05 PM
This Revolution of Destroyers Demands New Names via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...
Reposted by Edward Alden
Outrageous!
The full statement from the family of R.E. Burke clarifies that there were no grounds whatsoever for the British cartoonist to be detained by ICE for almost 3 weeks – she held a valid ESTA, had broken no rules or laws in the US, and was ready & able to return home.
downthetubes.net/comic-creato...
downthetubes.net/comic-creato...
Comic Creator RE Burke: Her Visa Story
Full family statement after her welcome return to the UK
downthetubes.net
March 23, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Outrageous!
Reposted by Edward Alden
Reposted by Edward Alden
“Border-first approaches may be increasingly popular—and politically appealing—but they are certain to fail, and to hurt many innocent people in the process,” write @edwardalden.bsky.social and Laurie Trautman.
The Myth of the Hardened Border
Crude restrictions can’t stop migrants, drugs, or disease.
www.foreignaffairs.com
March 20, 2025 at 2:14 PM
“Border-first approaches may be increasingly popular—and politically appealing—but they are certain to fail, and to hurt many innocent people in the process,” write @edwardalden.bsky.social and Laurie Trautman.
Reposted by Edward Alden
In a recent executive order, President Trump cited that immigration at the southern border threatens public health.
@edwardalden.bsky.social uses the COVID pandemic as a case study on the limitations of border closings for preventing disease transmission. [Feb. 2025]
@edwardalden.bsky.social uses the COVID pandemic as a case study on the limitations of border closings for preventing disease transmission. [Feb. 2025]
Pandemic Responses Should Not Rely on Border Closures | Think Global Health
Lessons learned from COVID-19 should inform future public health responses
www.thinkglobalhealth.org
March 13, 2025 at 3:12 PM
In a recent executive order, President Trump cited that immigration at the southern border threatens public health.
@edwardalden.bsky.social uses the COVID pandemic as a case study on the limitations of border closings for preventing disease transmission. [Feb. 2025]
@edwardalden.bsky.social uses the COVID pandemic as a case study on the limitations of border closings for preventing disease transmission. [Feb. 2025]
But of course we’ll just close our borders and everything will be fine, right?
“The Trump administration’s pause on foreign aid has hobbled programs that prevent and snuff out outbreaks around the world, scientists say, leaving people everywhere more vulnerable to threatening viruses and bacteria.”
How Foreign Aid Cuts Are Setting the Stage for Disease Outbreaks
Organizations funded by the United States helped keep dangerous pathogens in check around the world. Now many safeguards are gone, and Americans may pay the price.
www.nytimes.com
March 9, 2025 at 6:06 AM
But of course we’ll just close our borders and everything will be fine, right?
Sure, but done the way they are being done by Trump, tariffs are going to hurt far more manufacturing workers than they will help.
You won’t get anywhere conceding, “Actually, the Republicans have a point.” They don’t compromise—they take ground and weaponize the Democrats’ own moves against them. They’ll vote against your legislation, then campaign on its successes while you sit back, clinging to the illusion of bipartisanship
👋Fellow Democrats, the party needs to rethink all the anti-tariff absolutism. I’m a Rust Belt Democrat from swingy Western PA—where lousy trade deals like NAFTA stripped us for parts. Democrats need to break free from the zombie horde of neoliberal economists who think tariffs are always bad. 🧵
March 8, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Sure, but done the way they are being done by Trump, tariffs are going to hurt far more manufacturing workers than they will help.
Reposted by Edward Alden
When it comes to threats from abroad, politicians must stop promising quick fixes through border closures—and start investing in the infrastructure needed to actually mitigate these dangers, argue @edwardalden.bsky.social and Laurie Trautman.
The Myth of the Hardened Border
Crude restrictions can’t stop migrants, drugs, or disease.
www.foreignaffairs.com
March 6, 2025 at 9:34 PM
When it comes to threats from abroad, politicians must stop promising quick fixes through border closures—and start investing in the infrastructure needed to actually mitigate these dangers, argue @edwardalden.bsky.social and Laurie Trautman.
Thank you Colleen! And coming out on the eve of yet another ill-conceived “travel ban.”
"Governments cannot solve the problems of disease, drugs, and illegal immigration by simply battening down the hatches."
Excellent piece by @edwardalden.bsky.social and Laurie Trautman
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
Excellent piece by @edwardalden.bsky.social and Laurie Trautman
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
The Myth of the Hardened Border
Crude restrictions can’t stop migrants, drugs, or disease.
www.foreignaffairs.com
March 6, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Thank you Colleen! And coming out on the eve of yet another ill-conceived “travel ban.”
“These policies were ostensibly directed outward, targeting foreigners. But as is often the case with border controls, they inflicted damage internally too, infringing on citizens' rights.”
reason.com/2025/02/18/w...
reason.com/2025/02/18/w...
When COVID authoritarianism met border authoritarianism
All 194 countries in the World Health Organization imposed COVID travel restrictions. The authors of 'When the World Closed Its Doors' argue it was a failure.
reason.com
February 18, 2025 at 3:48 PM
“These policies were ostensibly directed outward, targeting foreigners. But as is often the case with border controls, they inflicted damage internally too, infringing on citizens' rights.”
reason.com/2025/02/18/w...
reason.com/2025/02/18/w...
So pleased to see this excerpt from my new book with Laurie Trautman running in @thetyee.ca. I grew up in Vancouver, ai this is where my own journey with cross-border living began. thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...
Looking Back at the 2020 ‘Summer of Love,’ Major Lessons Emerge | The Tyee
It’s not easy to look back at the recent, difficult past, but the future of borders is at stake. A new book excerpt.
thetyee.ca
February 15, 2025 at 5:55 PM
So pleased to see this excerpt from my new book with Laurie Trautman running in @thetyee.ca. I grew up in Vancouver, ai this is where my own journey with cross-border living began. thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...
Reposted by Edward Alden
Was pleased to join Washington International Trade Association for a panel yesterday with USTR alums Wendy Cutler and Stephen Vaughn, as well as @edwardalden.bsky.social and Arancha González (former foreign minister of Spain).
We got into the future of WTO and more.
www.wita.org/events/2025-...
We got into the future of WTO and more.
www.wita.org/events/2025-...
February 11, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Was pleased to join Washington International Trade Association for a panel yesterday with USTR alums Wendy Cutler and Stephen Vaughn, as well as @edwardalden.bsky.social and Arancha González (former foreign minister of Spain).
We got into the future of WTO and more.
www.wita.org/events/2025-...
We got into the future of WTO and more.
www.wita.org/events/2025-...
Reposted by Edward Alden
Like I said: This is a betrayal of America’s identity as a nation that offers a haven for refugees — including my own family when we fled the Soviet Union in 1976. wapo.st/40XERMF
February 7, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Like I said: This is a betrayal of America’s identity as a nation that offers a haven for refugees — including my own family when we fled the Soviet Union in 1976. wapo.st/40XERMF
Reposted by Edward Alden
Our region is a model for how two nations can work together to advance shared interests. It's at risk with recent wall- building measures at the border.
Check out Dr. Trautman and @edwardalden.bsky.social alden.bsky.social's most recent Op-Ed in the
@seattletimes-rss.bsky.social to learn more.
Check out Dr. Trautman and @edwardalden.bsky.social alden.bsky.social's most recent Op-Ed in the
@seattletimes-rss.bsky.social to learn more.
www.seattletimes.com
February 7, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Our region is a model for how two nations can work together to advance shared interests. It's at risk with recent wall- building measures at the border.
Check out Dr. Trautman and @edwardalden.bsky.social alden.bsky.social's most recent Op-Ed in the
@seattletimes-rss.bsky.social to learn more.
Check out Dr. Trautman and @edwardalden.bsky.social alden.bsky.social's most recent Op-Ed in the
@seattletimes-rss.bsky.social to learn more.
The U.S.-Canada relationship is a special one — and one that has defined much of my own life.
We need to fight for it!
Thanks to Laurie Trautman for co-authoring this piece with me on what we can do here in Washington state.
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/u-s-...
We need to fight for it!
Thanks to Laurie Trautman for co-authoring this piece with me on what we can do here in Washington state.
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/u-s-...
www.seattletimes.com
February 7, 2025 at 12:07 AM
The U.S.-Canada relationship is a special one — and one that has defined much of my own life.
We need to fight for it!
Thanks to Laurie Trautman for co-authoring this piece with me on what we can do here in Washington state.
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/u-s-...
We need to fight for it!
Thanks to Laurie Trautman for co-authoring this piece with me on what we can do here in Washington state.
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/u-s-...
Reposted by Edward Alden
JUST IN: A federal judge in Washington says she's concerned that the White House is still implementing the spending freeze that she and a Rhode Island judge have ordered temporarily halted.
Judge AliKhan is inclined to issue a restraining order.
Judge AliKhan is inclined to issue a restraining order.
February 3, 2025 at 5:32 PM
JUST IN: A federal judge in Washington says she's concerned that the White House is still implementing the spending freeze that she and a Rhode Island judge have ordered temporarily halted.
Judge AliKhan is inclined to issue a restraining order.
Judge AliKhan is inclined to issue a restraining order.
Reposted by Edward Alden
Hey look, Biden got Mexico to deploy 10,000 troops to the border at the beginning of his presidency. And he didn’t threaten a trade war to do it. It’s so damn sad how Trump plays with & deceives his followers.
February 3, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Hey look, Biden got Mexico to deploy 10,000 troops to the border at the beginning of his presidency. And he didn’t threaten a trade war to do it. It’s so damn sad how Trump plays with & deceives his followers.