Senior Research Fellow, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies
Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies

Ariel Cohen brings firsthand knowledge of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East through a wide range of studies, covering issues such as economic development and political reform in the former Soviet republics, U.S. energy security, the global War on Terrorism and the continuing conflict in the Middle East. 

His analyses are often incisive.  For example, he warned repeatedly that multi-billion dollar financial aid to the corrupt Russian government would end up in the wrong pockets – which indeed happened after the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Cohen also predicted the Russian financial collapse in a Heritage Foundation analysis published nine months before the event actually took place. And he warned about Iranian nuclear and missile ambitions and called for restrictions on Russian nuclear and missile technology transfer to Iran as early in 1997. U.S. concerns over the sale or other transfer of such technology, Cohen said, “should be raised repeatedly at the highest levels of the Russian government.”

His work on Middle East issues is also just as incisive. In July 2001, just two months before Osama bin Laden’s terror network struck the United States, Cohen testified before Congress, encouraging the U.S. government to “…counter the efforts of radical Islamic groups in Central Asia, including the Taliban and the Osama bin Laden organization.”  He also published pioneering work on the “War of Ideas” (strategic information operations) as a key battlefield in the global War on Terrorism against radical Islam, and on counter-insurgency strategy. His expertise in is in demand by the Army and other branches of the federal government.

Cohen joined Heritage in 1992 and is now a Senior Research Fellow.  He earned his doctorate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts. He has served as a consultant to both the executive branch and the private sector on policy toward Russia, Eastern and Central Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. He participated in a long-term study known as Russia 2025 conducted by the World Economic Forum and in Multilateral Deterrence Study for Office of Secretary of Defense and in other projects. He is often called upon to testify on Russian and Eurasian politics, economics, and law before the U.S. Congress, and regularly provides commentary on Russian, Eurasian, and Middle Eastern affairs for ABC, BBC, CNN, FOX, and all three national TV channels in Russia. He was a weekly contributor to the Voice of America radio and TV programs for eight years.

A former member of the Board of Directors of the California-Russia Trade Association, from 1985-1992 Cohen has managed media research projects for Radio Liberty's then-Soviet audience. His book, Russian Imperialism: Development and Crisis, was published in 1996 and in 1998 by Greenwood/Praeger. He also co-authored and edited Eurasia in Balance (Ashgate Publishing, 2005), which focuses on the power shift in the region after the Sept. 11 attacks. In addition, he has written nearly 500 articles and 25 book chapters. 

Cohen is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, International Institute of Strategic Studies in London, and Association for the Study of Nationalities.

All Publications by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.

• Reports
• Commentary
• Video

• Commentary posted November 12, 2010 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. Dear Mr. Nuclear Fantasy

The New START signed between Russia and the United States this past April is thought to be the foundation of the Obama administration’s “reset” policy with Moscow. According to the White House’s “reset” narrative, Russia and the United States have developed a real partnership. This, we are led to believe,… Read more

• WebMemo posted November 8, 2010 by Baker Spring, Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. Russia’s Duma Decision to Delay Consideration of New START: Now the Senate Can Take Its Time to Review the Treaty

Last week, Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee, proposed that members of the committee consider delaying New START, a strategic nuclear arms reductions treaty with the United States. Subsequently, the International Affairs Committee decided to delay its consideration of the legislation that would authorize… Read more

• WebMemo posted October 26, 2010 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. Time to Revise Obama’s Russian “Reset” Policy

In March 2009 in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pressed the “reset button” to restart the frozen Russia–U.S. relationship. Since then, the Obama Administration has hailed the reset as a great accomplishment. However, U.S. concessions on New START, limitations on missile defense,… Read more

• Backgrounder posted October 21, 2010 by Helle Dale, Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. The U.S. Takes “New Europe” for Granted at its Own Peril

Abstract: The nations of “New Europe” have been staunch allies of the United States in the aftermath of 9/11, and have sacrificed resources and soldiers’ lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Again and again, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have shown their… Read more

• WebMemo posted September 17, 2010 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. Turkey’s Referendum: A Looming Challenge to U.S. Interests?

On September 12, 2010, Turkey took an important political step away from its secular nature—and, indirectly, away from its alliance with the United States and NATO. Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan forced a nationwide referendum to accept or reject 26 constitutional amendments for an up-or-down vote. The referendum passed 58 percent… Read more

• Commentary posted August 19, 2010 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. Russia Bears Down

Last week, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, commander of the Russian air force, announced that Moscow had deployed a state-of-the-art S-300 (SA-20 Favorit variant) long-range air-defense system in Abkhazia, a region of the Republic of Georgia that Russia has occupied since the August 2008 war. Since then, Russia… Read more

• Commentary posted August 10, 2010 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. Reset the Russian Reset Policy

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently proclaimed Eurasia a Russian "sphere of exclusive interests." Moscow has backed up those words with every available foreign-policy tool: diplomacy (including recognition of breakaway republics), arms sales, defense pacts, base construction—even regime change. This month marks the second anniversary of the… Read more

• WebMemo posted July 27, 2010 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. The Manas Base and Challenges to the U.S. Presence in Kyrgyzstan

Winning in Afghanistan is a vital U.S. national interest, and since 2001, Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan has been critical to this effort. Manas moves some 500 tons of cargo and 15,000 people per month into and out of Afghanistan.[1] In addition, there are reports that the United… Read more

• Backgrounder posted July 26, 2010 by Sally McNamara, Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., James Phillips Countering Turkey’s Strategic Drift

Abstract: For decades, Turkey and the United States cooperated in the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and even Korea. However, Turkish and U.S. interests in the Balkans, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf have recently diverged. On its… Read more

• Commentary posted July 1, 2010 by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. A Blow to Obama’s 'Reset’ with Russia

Moscow and Washington are in all-out damage control mode to save President Obama’s “reset” policy with Russia – a policy which is hailed as his great diplomatic accomplishment. But after the US Department of Justice arrested 10 of the 11 alleged Russian spies this week, that “reset”… Read more