Contributor

Fred Bergsten, Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics

C. Fred Bergsten has been director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics since its creation in 1981. The Institute is the only major research institution in the United States devoted to international economic issues. Bergsten was assistant secretary for international affairs of the US Treasury during 1977-81. He also functioned as undersecretary for monetary affairs during 1980-81, representing the United States on the G-5 Deputies and in preparing G-7 summits. During 1969-71, starting at age 27, Dr. Bergsten coordinated US foreign economic policy in the White House as assistant for international economic affairs to Dr. Henry Kissinger at the National Security Council. He has been a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (1972-76), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1981), and the Council on Foreign Relations (1967-68). He is co-chairman of the Private Sector Advisory Group to the United States-India Trade Policy Forum. Dr. Bergsten was chairman of the Eminent Persons Group of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum from 1993 to 1995, authoring its three reports that recommended "free and open trade in the region by 2010 and 2020" as adopted at the APEC summits in 1993 and 1994. He was also chairman of the Competitiveness Policy Council created by the Congress from 1991 through 1995. Bergsten was a member of the two leading commissions on reform of the international monetary system: the Independent Task Force on The Future International Financial Architecture, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations (1999), and the International Financial Institutions Advisory Commission created by Congress (2000, on which he led the dissenting minority). Bergsten has authored, coauthored, or edited 38 books on international economic issues, including China: The Balance Sheet (Public Affairs, 2006) The United States and the World Economy: Foreign Economic Policy for the Next Decade (2005), Dollar Adjustment: How Far? Against What? (2004), Dollar Overvaluation and the World Economy (2003), No More Bashing: Building a New Japan-United States Economic Relationship (2001), and The Dilemmas of the Dollar (New York University Press, 2d ed., 1996). His latest of 15 articles in Foreign Affairs over a period of 37 years is "Rescuing the Doha Round" (December 2005). Recent op-eds include "The Yen Beckons China's Dollars" (Financial Times, March 2007), "Plan B for World Trade: Go Regional" (Financial Times, August 2006), "What's A Treasury Secretary to Do?" (Washington Post, June 2006), "Trade: Clash of the Titans" (Newsweek, April 2006), "Avoiding Another Dubai" (Washington Post, February 2006) Dr. Bergsten was born in 1941. He received MA, MALD, and PhD degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a BA magna cum laude and honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Central Methodist College.