Charles Edel

Oct 10, 2024 | foreignaffairs.com | Charles Edel |Kathryn Paik

Under Democratic and Republican administrations alike, policymakers in Washington have in recent years reached a consensus about the need to compete with China. They have paid growing attention to the technological and military aspects of the competition, shoring up relationships with partners and allies, and trying to prevent China from gaining access to critical technologies. But they have neglected one key area: the United States’ diplomatic ground game.

Sep 26, 2024 | csis.org | Charles Edel |Kathryn Paik

This commentary is part of a report from the CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department entitled The Global Impact of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. The report features a set of essays assessing the meaning of the election for Europe, Russia, Eurasia, the Indo-Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. Over the past decade, the Indo-Pacific region has emerged as the primary area of strategic focus for Washington.

Aug 20, 2024 | csis.org | Charles Edel |Christopher Johnstone

China’s aggressive actions toward Taiwan, including military posturing, economic pressure, and coercive rhetoric, have heightened tensions and sparked global concern. Much more needs to be done through the trilateral relationship among the United States, Japan, and Australia to maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Mar 5, 2024 | csis.org | Charles Edel |Kathryn Paik

The United States became a Pacific country more than 100 years ago, acquiring strategic positions in Hawaii, the Philippines, Samoa, Guam, Midway, and Wake Island in a manner that the famous U.S. historian Ernest May described as “unconcernedly and almost unthinkingly” in his book, Imperial Democracy: The Emergence of America as a Great Power. Today, the same process might just be occurring in reverse.

Jan 31, 2024 | csis.org | Charles Edel |Kathryn Paik

The United States is on the brink of a making a massive strategic blunder if it fails to continue funding a little-known but critically important agreement called the Compacts of Free Association (COFA). COFA has served as a key foundation for U.S. engagement in and across the Pacific for decades, but with a potential lapse of this arrangement on the horizon, China is waiting eagerly to fill the void.