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

Ukraine: A Real War

On the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, CSIS’ Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to discuss how the conflict has become a “real war,” and what the consequences are for the United States and the West if Ukraine doesn’t prevail.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Eliot A. Cohen — March 1, 2024

CSIS the truth of the matter

Reflections on the Ukraine War

Please join Dr. Eliot A. Cohen for a conversation with General (Ret.) Wesley K. Clark on the ongoing Ukraine War.

Event — February 20, 2024

Press Briefing: Assessing the War in Ukraine

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a call-in press briefing to discuss the most critical questions facing the future of the war in Ukraine ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Event — February 14, 2024

2024 Global Forecast: Conflict Zones

In the third installment of the 2024 Global Forecast—A World Dividing—CSIS experts offer their views on what to expect on the battlefield in 2024, from the outlook for Ukraine to critical questions about the long-term consequences of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Digital Report by Mark F. Cancian, Max Bergmann, and Maria Snegovaya, Romina Bandura, Kathleen McInnis, Elizabeth Hoffman, Eliot A. Cohen, Daniel Byman, Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, Emily Harding, Craig Cohen, Alex Kisling — February 2, 2024

The Truth of the Matter

The Houthis and U.S. Options

CSIS’ Eliot Cohen joins the podcast to discuss how the United States should respond to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, plus, Dr. Cohen describes what he saw and experienced during his recent visit to Israel.   

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Eliot A. Cohen — January 18, 2024

CSIS the truth of the matter

On the Ground in Israel: Expert Perspectives

Join CSIS on Wednesday, January 17, at 3:00 p.m. ET for a virtual discussion on International Security Program experts' recent trip to Israel to meet with officials about the war with Hamas.

Event — January 17, 2024

The Truth of the Matter

War in Gaza and The Hollow Crown

CSIS’s Eliot Cohen joins the podcast for a discussion of the ground war in Gaza and his new book “The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule and Fall.”

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Eliot A. Cohen — November 2, 2023

CSIS the truth of the matter