Bill Drexel

Former Fellow, Technology and National Security Program

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Bill Drexel is a former fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). His work focuses on Sino-American competition, artificial intelligence, and technology as an element of American grand strategy. Previously, Drexel worked on humanitarian innovation at the UN (International Organization for Migration) and on Indo-Pacific affairs at the American Enterprise Institute.

Always seeking on-the-ground exposure, Drexel’s career has ranged from serving as a rescue boat driver during Libya’s migration crisis, to conducting investigative research in the surveillance state of Xinjiang, China, to supporting humanitarian data efforts across wartime Ukraine. Drexel has been the recipient of numerous academic awards, including the Fox Fellowship to Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi), the Schwarzman Scholarship (Beijing), and the Research Award in Grand Strategy (Yale).

Drexel’s opinion is regularly sought out by outlets spanning The Economist, TIME, CNN, and South China Morning Post, and his commentary has appeared in publications such as Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. Drexel holds a BA from Yale University and master’s degrees from Cambridge University and Tsinghua University.