Edward Mead Earle (1894 – June 23, 1954) was an American author and university lecturer who specialized in the role of the military in foreign relations.

For twenty years he was a professor in the School of Economics and Politics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

According to David Ekbladh, writing in the journal International Security, Earle and his foundation, government, and university collaborators had significant influence on the evolution of security studies as a separate field, with effects that are still felt today.

[3] Earle was the inaugural winner of the George Louis Beer Prize given by the American Historical Association, in 1923, for his book Turkey, the Great Powers, and the Bagdad Railway.

[4] For his service in World War II, Edward M. Earle received the Presidential Medal for Merit in 1946.