Stephen P. Cohen

Stephen Philip Cohen (March 9, 1936 – October 27, 2019) was an American political scientist and professor of security studies.[1] He was a leading expert on India, Pakistan and South Asian security,[2][3][4][5] He was a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution and an emeritus professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[6][7] He authored, co-authored or edited over 12 books,[2] was named as one of America's 500 most influential people in foreign affairs, and was a fixture on radio and television talk shows.[6]

For other persons with a similar name, see Stephen Cohen.
Stephen P. Cohen in 2013.

Biography

Early life and education

Stephen Phillip Cohen was born in 1936 in Chicago to Saul Cohen and Elizabeth (nee Passovoy). Saul was a Lithuanian Jew whose family had fled persecution in the Russian Empire (modern day Kaunas, Lithuania), while Elizabeth's family, also fleeing persecution, was originally from Dnipropetrovsk, now Dnipro, Ukraine. He was raised alongside his younger brother in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago where he met his future wife, Roberta. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Chicago where he studied political science, graduating with a B.A. and a M.A. He then attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he defended his dissertation and was awarded a Ph.D. in political science and South Asian studies.

Career

Cohen began his career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1965 where he taught for over 30 years and was professor emeritus. Early on, he was instrumental in founding the program in Arms Control & Domestic and International Security alongside Arthur Chilton and Ed Kolodziej.[8] In 1971, he published his first book "The Indian Army: Its Contribution to the Development of a Nation", which established him as a leading scholar of South Asia.

Forming close bonds with many South Asian leaders, he was a personal guest of former President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia ul-Haq whom he interviewed shortly before his death.[9] From 1985-1987, he was a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State. In 1992, he was a visiting scholar at the Ford Foundation in New Delhi. Cohen also spent time abroad, teaching as a visiting professor at both Keio University and Andhra University and at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in 2008.

In 1998, he joined the Brookings Institution as a Senior Fellow in the foreign policy program. For the next 20 years, he published numerous books, articles, and opinion pieces, and worked as consultant to numerous agencies and organizations. In 2017 was named a Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Brookings Institution.

Known as the "guru of gurus," Cohen was the first American scholar to work in the field of South Asian security studies, largely defined the field, trained many of its leading analysts, and was himself its most experienced and insightful practitioner.[10] He also developed specific policy interests in nuclear proliferation, disaster management, and the application of technology to the prevention or mitigation of terrorism.[11] He was a member of the National Academy of Science’s Committee on International Security and Arms Control. Following his death the International Studies Association named their paper prize "Stephen P. Cohen Best Paper Award in International Politics of South Asia" after him.[12]

Selected bibliography
  • Stephen P. Cohen (April 30, 2013). Shooting for a Century: The India-Pakistan Conundrum. Brookings Institution Press. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-0-8157-2186-4. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  • Stephen Philip Cohen (November 4, 2011). The Future of Pakistan. Brookings Institution Press. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-8157-2180-2.
  • Stephen Philip Cohen (2004). The Idea of Pakistan. Brookings Institution Press. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-8157-1502-3.
  • P. R. Chari; Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema; Stephen P. Cohen (2000). The Compound Crisis of 1990: Perception, Politics, and Insecurity. Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
  • Stephen Philip Cohen (2001). India: Emerging Power. Brookings Institution Press. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-8157-1501-6.
  • Stephen P. Cohen (June 1, 1998). The Pakistan Army: with a new foreword and epilogue. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-577948-6.
  • Stephen P. Cohen (2001). The Indian Army: Its Contribution to the Development of a Nation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-565316-8.
  • Stephen Philip Cohen; Cohen, Stephen P., and Sunil Dasgupta. (September 7, 2010). Arming Without Aiming: India's Military Modernization. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 978-0-8157-0402-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

See also

References
  1. "Stephen Philip Cohen". Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy:National University of Singapore. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  2. "Media Advisory - Rising India's "Pakistan Problem"". Canada Newswire. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  3. "Kashmir conflict will last for 100 years: Author Stephen P Cohen". Daily News and Analysis. May 31, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  4. Siraj Akbar, Malik (January 15, 2012). "The Future of Pakistan". The Express Tribune. Retrieved November 19, 2012. and was a Senior Fellow at the Washington DC-based think tank the Brookings Institution and considered as the "dean of the Pakistan experts." He was known as one of the world's most trusted civilian authorities on the Pakistani military and its relationship with the civilian governments.
  5. "Stephen P. Cohen, Leading Expert on India, Joins Brookings as Senior Fellow". Brookings. October 9, 1998. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  6. "Lecture". The University of Texas at Austin:South Asia Institute.
  7. "Stephen P. Cohen". University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  8. "History | The Program in Arms Control & Domestic and International Security | UIUC". acdis.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  9. ATHALE (retd), Colonel ANIL A. "Why we are poorer with Steve Cohen's passing". Rediff. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  10. "Stephen P. Cohen". Brookings. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  11. "Stephen P. Cohen's disciplinary contribution to political science". Brookings. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  12. "Stephen P. Cohen Best Paper Award in International Politics of South Asia". www.isanet.org. Retrieved 2023-09-03.


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