home > the cfr think tank > experts > steven a. cook
Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-202-509-8620
E-mail: scook@cfr.org
Location:
Washington, DC
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 313K)
One-page bio (PDF, 55K)
Video clip (MP4, 1.2 MB)
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Author of Ruling But Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey. Directed the Council-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. policy toward reform in the Arab world. Currently writing a book on the future of U.S.-Egypt relations.
Expertise:Politics in the Arab world; U.S.-Middle East policy; Turkish politics; civil-military relations in the Middle East; Arab-Israeli conflict.
Experience:Instructor, University of Pennsylvania (2004); Research Fellow, Brookings Institution (2001-2002); Soref Research Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy (1995-96).
Languages:Arabic (fluent); Turkish (working knowledge); French (reading comprehension).
Honors:Brookings Research Fellowship (2001-2002); Institute of Turkish Studies Research/Writing Fellowship (2001-2002); Boren Fellowship (1999-2000).
Selected Publications:"Why Israel Won't Attack Iran" (op-ed, Foreign Policy, June 9, 2009) ; "Adrift on the Nile" (Foreign Affairs, March/April 2009); "Israel Must Learn the Limits of Bombing and Violence in Palestine" (op-ed, U.S. News & World Report, January 5, 2009).
Related Links:
"The Evolving Turkish Role Mideast Peace Diplomacy" (Expert Brief, April 7, 2009)
"Turkey’s Local Elections: Erdogan’s Miscalculation" (Middle East Progress, April 2, 2009)
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
June 9, 2009
Op-Ed
Foreign Policy
Steven A. Cook explores the question, "Why haven't the Israelis attacked Iran's nuclear facilities?"
See more in Iran, Israel, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 4, 2009
Interview
CFR Mideast expert Steven A. Cook says President Obama's Cairo speech effectively addressed issues at the core of U.S.-Muslim tensions. But sustaining a constructive dialogue will be a challenge, he says.
See more in United States, Middle East
June 2, 2009
Interview
CFR Middle East expert Steven A. Cook says President Obama's trip to Saudi Arabia and Egypt will attempt to bring new energy to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and is likely to deliver a message on democracy in the Muslim world.
See more in Middle East, Diplomacy
June 2, 2009
Audio
Listen to CFR experts Mohamad Bazzi and Steven Cook discuss the June 7, 2009 parliamentary elections and the future of Lebanon.
See more in Lebanon
June 2, 2009, Washington D.C.
Transcript
In this teleconference with Steven A. Cook, Mohamad Bazzi provides an overview of the upcoming elections in Lebanon, and puts forward several post-election scenarios.
See more in Lebanon, Elections
May 31, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Steven A. Cook discusses President Obama's speech in Cairo.
See more in Middle East, Egypt, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May 19, 2009
Interview
CFR Middle East expert Steven A. Cook says President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted to project "a friendly partnership" in their White House meeting, but remain divided on a two-state solution and how to confront Iran.
April 2, 2009
Op-Ed
Middle East Bulletin
Steven A. Cook examines the decline in popular support for Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's Justice and Development Party.
Updated: April 7, 2009
Expert Brief
CFR Senior Fellow Steven A. Cook argues that in an era of diminished resources for the United States, Turkey can play a critical and constructive role in the Middle East.
See more in Turkey, Middle East, International Peace and Security
March 24, 2009
Interview
Steven A. Cook, a Middle East expert, examines what a new Israeli government might mean for the country's political leaders and the regional peace process.
See more in Israel
March/April 2009
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
Bruce Rutherford's Egypt After Mubarak is an ambitious effort to explain how the Muslim Brotherhood, the judiciary, and the business sector can work in parallel, if not exactly together, to influence Egypt's political future.
See more in Egypt
January 23, 2009
Audio
Listen to CFR experts reflect on the immediate challenges facing the Obama administration in the greater Middle East.
See more in Middle East, Global Governance, International Peace and Security
January 23, 2009
Transcript
A panel of CFR Senior Fellows discusses the wide range of Middle East challenges that face the new administration and its special envoys.
See more in Middle East, Diplomacy
January 22, 2009
Audio
Listen to Steven A. Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at CFR, discuss the recent conflict in Gaza as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call Series.
See more in Middle East, Israel, Conflict Assessment
January 13, 2009
Audio
Listen to Steven A. Cook, CFR's senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies, discuss the continuing crisis in Gaza as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call Series.
See more in Middle East, Conflict Assessment, Religion
January 5, 2009
Op-Ed
U.S. News & World Report
Steven A. Cook writes in U.S. News & World Report that Israel's exercise of military power in the Gaza Strip, employed legitimately or not, is unlikely to achieve its desired goals.
See more in Middle East, Israel, Palestinian Authority
December 29, 2008
Interview
Steven A. Cook, CFR's leading Middle East expert, says the latest attacks by Israel against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip were "not surprising" given the renewed rocket attacks on southern Israel from the Gaza, and the political and military environments in Israel.
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority
December 29, 2008
Audio
Listen to CFR Middle East experts Steven A. Cook and Daniel Senor discuss the implications of the recent surge in violence in the Gaza strip.
See more in Middle East, Conflict Prevention, Diplomacy
December 9, 2008
Audio
Listen to CFR experts consider potential threats the Obama administration could face in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and suggest steps that can be taken to prevent conflicts.
See more in South Asia, Middle East, Conflict Prevention
December 9, 2008
Video
Watch CFR experts consider potential threats the Obama administration could face in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and suggest steps that can be taken to prevent conflicts.
See more in South Asia, Middle East, Conflict Prevention
Explore international efforts to curb nuclear proliferation with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
The Canadian oil sands present an important challenge to policymakers: they promise energy security benefits but present climate change problems. Michael A. Levi assesses the energy security and climate change effects of the oil sands and makes recommendations for U.S. policymakers within the context of broader bilateral relations with Canada.
This report explores an important element of the maritime policy regime: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Author Scott G. Borgerson examines the international negotiations that led to the convention, the history of debates in the United States over whether to join it, and the strategic importance of the oceans for U.S. foreign policy today.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
In War of Necessity, War of Choice, Richard N. Haass contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of two wars between the United States and Iraq involving the two presidents Bush and Saddam Hussein, and writes an authoritative, personal account of how U.S. foreign policy is made, what it should seek, and how it should be pursued.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba’s unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
As Ray Takeyh shows in Guardians of the Revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans of Iran is a nation that is far more pragmatic—and complex—than many in the West have been led to believe.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
Sebastian Mallaby
Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for
Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior
Fellow for International Economics
smallaby@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
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