Eliot A. Cohen

Eliot A. Cohen is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and the Arleigh Burke chair in strategy at CSIS. From 2007 to 2009, he was the Counselor of the Department of State. He is the author most recently of The Big Stick: The Limits of Soft Power and the Necessity of Military Force.

John Taggart / Bloomberg / Getty

The Rot of Democracies

If America succumbs to its internal divisions, to its preoccupation with partisan feuding and its desire to withdraw from international politics, the world order, such as it is, will crumble.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- October 6, 2021
Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla / U.S. Marine Corps …

A Dishonorable Exit

Honor demanded America rescue Afghans who served alongside us and assist those who took chances on their country because we asked.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- September 3, 2021
Seamus Murphy / VII / Redux

A Moment for Soul-Searching

The United States owes its Afghan allies careful scrutiny of its institutional and personal failures—without recrimination, but also without excuses.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- August 16, 2021
Ben Brody

‘How Does One Process Defeat?’

A letter to a civilian who deployed to Afghanistan
- Eliot A. Cohen
- July 29, 2021
Seamus Murphy / VII / Redux

Exit Strategy

There will be no power-sharing, no reconciliation, no peace of the brave.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- April 13, 2021
Jon Cherry / Getty / The Atlantic

These Old Evils Require Old Remedies

The machinery of justice should be relentless and thorough.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- January 11, 2021
Stan Grossfeld / The Boston Globe / Getty

Don’t Despair

Americans are equal to this moment.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- January 4, 2021
Getty / The Atlantic

Trump’s Enablers Will Meet Their Shakespearean Ends

The Bard had a rich sense of the creeps and criminals, sycophants and slimeballs, weirdos and wing nuts who hang around power.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- December 21, 2020
Brendan Smialowski / Getty

This Is No Job for a General

President-elect Joe Biden should choose a civilian to lead his Department of Defense.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- December 8, 2020
Getty / The Atlantic

Trump the Genius, Trump the Incompetent, Trump the Bogeyman

A character study of the 45th president
- Eliot A. Cohen
- November 15, 2020
Netflix

The Great British Baking Show and the Meaning of Life

In these fraught times, I like to seek refuge in the idyllic England of my dreams—one that still exists in The Great British Baking Show.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- October 18, 2020
Brendan Smialowski / Hulton Archive / Getty / …

The Feckless King

The president’s fall has come, and it has a Shakespearean flavor.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- October 5, 2020
The Atlantic

Go Memorize a Poem

In times of crisis, learning and reciting poetry can act as a balm.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- July 29, 2020
Anthia Cumming / Getty

A Tale of Two Letters

Speaking the truth, laying down a marker, drawing a line are valuable in ways that you can never fully anticipate.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- July 17, 2020
Getty / The Atlantic

A Profoundly Unserious Way of Dealing With the Past

As statues topple across the country, Americans need to distinguish between the problematic or objectionable and the irredeemably wrong.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- June 24, 2020
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

America’s Generals Must Stand Up to Trump

Our military leaders are willing to take a bullet for this country. But are they prepared to take a pink slip?
- Eliot A. Cohen
- June 3, 2020
Noam Galai / Getty

We’re Discovering Our Character

The pandemic is reshaping how we understand ourselves and our world.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- May 6, 2020
Jose A. Bernat Bacete / Getty

Our Plague Year

We must heed the logic of rationality and science—but also the logic captured by artists, poets, and storytellers.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- February 29, 2020
Jacquelyn Martin / AP

In the Long Run, Romney Wins

The senator from Utah’s speech was the stuff of American myth.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- February 9, 2020
Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty

Trump Is Playing Chess One Turn at a Time

An impulsive president tries to look tough without being prepared to follow through.
- Eliot A. Cohen
- January 4, 2020

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