U.S. National Security and Foreign Direct Investment

Although a vital part of the US economy, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States periodically raises public and congressional alarms―as witnessed during Dubai Ports World's recent bid to acquire US port operations and Chinese firm CNOOC's attempt to buy US energy firm Unocal. Drawing fire from Congress are the Exon-Florio provisions of US law, which enable the president to block a foreign acquisition that threatens national security. This important new book finds that many proposed reforms risk harming the US economy without enhancing national security. The authors propose ways to strengthen the current interagency review of deals, including an improved process for reporting to Congress.

Edward M. Graham (1944–2007) was a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute from 1990 to 2007. He also taught concurrently as adjunct professor at Columbia University in New York. Previously he was an economist at the US Treasury and taught full-time in the business schools of several US universities (MIT, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Duke University, among others).

David M. Marchick serves as Managing Director and Global Head of External Affairs and serves as a Member of the firm's Management Committee. Prior to joining Carlyle, Marchick was a partner and Vice-Chair of the international practice group at Covington & Burling. He is an expert on foreign investment and national security issues. Marchick serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Robert Toigo Foundation, an organization committed to enhance diversity in the financial services industry, and is a Member of the Committee on Conscience of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.