Edward Alden is the Bernard L. Schwartz senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, specializing in U.S. economic competitiveness, trade and immigration policy. Hear his seminar, "Trade Wars and the Global Trading Order: Reform or Collapse?" in this episode of our special summer podcast series.
A long-time journalist and policy analyst on U.S. economic competitiveness warned a Steamboat Springs audience that the country’s failure to help the workforce that has lost jobs due to globalization and automation could lead to societal upheaval. He also said the U.S. president’s tariff war isn’t helping the situation.
“If we don’t get this right, we’re in real trouble as a country,” said Edward Alden, a senior fellow for the think tank, Council on Foreign Relations. “This is the stuff revolutions are made of. If we don’t figure this out, bad things are going to happen.”
Alden opened the Seminars at Steamboat season Monday at Strings Music Pavilion with his talk, “Trade Wars and the Global Trading Order: Reform or Collapse?”
Alden, who also specializes in trade and immigration policy, is well placed to offer his opinion on the state of the American workforce. He’s an award-winning reporter who has worked for financial publications, including the Financial Times, where he served as their Washington D.C. bureau chief.
His most recent book, published before Donald Trump was elected, focuses on many of the issues that likely helped Trump get elected. Alden’s book, “Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy,” studies the federal government’s “failure to respond effectively to competitive challenges on issues such as trade, currency, worker retraining, education and infrastructure.”
Read the full story at the Steamboat Pilot & Today
Jennie Lay and Ryan Thompson produced this episode. Ryan also edited the podcast. Digital is managed by Ashley Jefcoat. Special thanks to the Steamboat Pilot & Today for use of their story. The intro music is "When I'm With You" by Scott Holmes.
Don't miss any of this year's speakers with the Seminars at Steamboat podcast, available on Google Play, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes available every Tuesday during the seminars season.