Ariel Cohen

Foreign, Economic and Security Policy Expert

Based in Washinton, D.C., Ariel Cohen, L.L.B., Ph.D., 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 particular expertise lies in the areas of Russia’s economic and financial policy; U.S.-Russian relations; Caspian pipeline security; ethnic conflict; and relationships between Russia and the New Independent States (NIS). He also has expertise on Turkey and Israel.

Expertise

Dr. Cohen has conducted policy briefings at the White House and produced numerous analyses, which were published in the leading journals and newspapers in the U.S. and around the world. He has organized and conducted conferences spanning a broad range of subjects, including international financial institutions aid to Russia; international organized crime; proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other topics.

Policy Development and Research

Dr. Cohen is Senior Research Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy, the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies at the Heritage Foundation. Cohen manages a successful policy research program on Russia, the New Independent States and Central Europe, working closely with Congressmen and Congressional staff members and cabinet-level Russian, Eurasian and Eastern and Central European decision makers. He has over 22 years experience and increasing responsibility in policy development and research, project design, project implementation and management, project evaluation, as well as legal reform, government relations/political public relations, journalistic writing, and broadcasting.

Previous Experience

Dr. Cohen was a Senior Consultant in charge of Legal Reform projects at the International Development practice at Burson-Marsteller, a leading international public information firm. He has consulted for the U.S. Agency for International Development, The World Bank, the United States Government, the U.S. Senate, and Radio Liberty-Radio Free Europe. He lectured at the Central Intelligence Agency and appeared in CIA/Department of State-sponsored conferences. He also advised multinational corporations and law firms in energy, retail, aerospace, and financial sectors in the former Soviet Union and Eastern and Central Europe.

Dr. Cohen frequently testifies before committees of the U.S. Congress, including House Foreign Relations, House Armed Services, House Judiciary Committees and the Helsinki Commission. He regularly appears on CNN, NBC, BBC-TV and other major radio and TV networks. In addition to his work at Heritage, Dr. Cohen serves as a weekly commentator for Voice of America and United Press International, and writes as a guest columnist for the Washington Post, the Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Journal of Commerce, Harvard International Review and other journals and magazines in the U.S. and abroad. He is a member of Editorial Board of Central Asia and the Caucasus (Stockholm). Dr. Cohen has served as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University and in a number of West Coast universities, including Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

He earned his doctorate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts. Cohen is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, International Institute of Strategic Studies in London, and Association for the Study of Nationalities.

Books

In his latest book, The Russian Military and the Georgia War: Lessons and Implications, Cohen shows show how Russia won the war against Georgia during their armed conflict in 2008. His book, Russian Imperialism: Development and Crisis, was published by Praeger Publishers/Greenwood. He also co-authored and edited Eurasia in Balance: The US And The Regional Power Shift (Us Foreign Policy and Conflict in the Islamic World) (Ashgate Publishing, 2005), which focuses on the power shift in the region after the Sept. 11 attacks.