Eliot A. Cohen

Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy
Eliot A. Cohen

Eliot A. Cohen is the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Robert E. Osgood Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he has taught since 1990. He received his BA and PhD degrees from Harvard and taught there and at the U.S. Naval War College before going to SAIS, where he has also served as the school’s ninth dean. His books include, most recently, The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force (Basic Books, 2017), as well as Conquered into Liberty: Two Centuries of Battle Along the Great Warpath that Made the American Way of War (FreePress, 2011) and Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime (Anchor, 2002), among others. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve, was a director in the Defense Department’s policy planning staff, led the U.S. Air Force’s multivolume study of the first Gulf War, and has served in various official advisory positions. From 2007 to 2009 he was counselor of the Department of State, serving as Secretary Condoleezza Rice’s senior adviser, focusing chiefly on issues of war and peace, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and his commentary has also appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and on major television networks.

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The Truth of the Matter

Visions of Kiev

CSIS’s Dr. Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to discuss his recent visit to Kiev and meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky, his assessment of Polish efforts to help Ukraine, and his analysis of Vladimir Putin’s next moves.  

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Eliot A. Cohen — September 30, 2022

CSIS the truth of the matter

Security Assistance to Ukraine: The State Department’s Role

The CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy hosted a conversation on the State Department's role in providing security assistance to Ukraine.

Event by Eliot A. Cohen , Dr. Dafna H. Rand , Ambassador Todd D. Robinson , Jessica Lewis , and Kathryn Insley — July 13, 2022

Photo: Staff Sgt. Shawn White/U.S. Air Force/DVIDS
The Truth of the Matter

Chicago Rules of War

CSIS’s Dr. Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to discuss why he thinks the U.S. and the West need a tougher, Al Capone-style “Chicago Rules” approach to the war in Ukraine. 

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Eliot A. Cohen — July 7, 2022

CSIS the truth of the matter
The Truth of the Matter

Russia Processing Reality

CSIS’s Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to evaluate the latest developments in Ukraine as well as U.S. support for Kyiv.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Eliot A. Cohen — June 23, 2022

CSIS the truth of the matter

Assessing Russia’s War in Ukraine

CSIS hosted a discussion on Russia’s military efforts, Ukraine’s military resistance, and opportunities for the United States and its allies and partners to assist Ukraine.

Event by Eliot A. Cohen , Emily Harding , Seth G. Jones , and Michael Vickers — June 16, 2022

Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images
The Truth of the Matter

Transformational War

CSIS’s Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to talk about how the war between Russia and Ukraine is transforming both nations and the future of Europe. 

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Eliot A. Cohen — May 17, 2022

CSIS the truth of the matter
The Truth of the Matter

War’s Decisive Moment

CSIS Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy Dr. Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to discuss what he views as the war in Ukraine’s “decisive moment,” and what the U.S. and its allies should do to further help the Ukrainian effort.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Eliot A. Cohen — April 13, 2022

CSIS the truth of the matter
Babel: Translating the Middle East

U.S. Power and Influence in the Middle East: Part Two

Jon Alterman explores how the last two decades of heightened U.S. military involvement in the Middle East changed the region, and the U.S. military. 

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Eliot A. Cohen — March 22, 2022

CSIS Babel
The Truth of the Matter

Enraged Putin

CSIS’s Dr. Eliot Cohen and Dr. Seth Jones join the podcast to assess the state of Russia’s war on Ukraine, what Vladimir Putin could do next, and how the United States may respond. 

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz , Eliot A. Cohen , and Seth G. Jones — March 18, 2022

CSIS the truth of the matter