Steven A. Cook


Steven A. Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East. He is also the author of The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square and Ruling But Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey. Cook contributes regularly to foreign policy journals such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, and The New Republic. He also runs a blog about Middle Eastern politics and history.

Academic background and honors

Cook received his undergraduate degree in international studies from Vassar College in 1990, a master's in international affairs from the Paul H. [Nitze School of Advanced International Studies] at Johns Hopkins University in 1995, and a PhD in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. Prior to joining CFR, Cook held fellowships at the Brookings Institution and the Institute of Turkish Studies Research and Writing Fellowship. In 1999, he was a recipient of the Boren Fellowship to Turkey and Egypt.

Experience

Cook travels to the Middle East, usually Turkey and Egypt, several times a year and has lived in Cairo, Damascus, Jerusalem, Ankara, and Ramallah. He knows three languages: English, Arabic, and Turkish. His research is primarily steeped in civil-military relations in the Middle East and he appears frequently on television and radio interviews to provide expert commentary on unfolding current events in the Middle East.

Published works

; Books
  • False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East 2017
  • The Struggle for Egypt: From Nasser to Tahrir Square Fall 2011
  • Ruling But Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey 2007
;Op-eds
;Articles
;Interviews