Steven A. Cook

Egypt   March/April 2017 Response

O Brotherhood Where Art Thou?

Debating Sisi's Strategy

Ahmed Abu Zeid and Steven A. Cook

Middle East   November/December 2016 Essay

Egypt’s Nightmare

By almost every measure, conditions in Egypt are worse now than prior to the revolution. Yet Egypt’s rulers continue to focus on repression. More than three years...

Steven A. Cook

Turkey   Jul 19, 2016 Snapshot

Where the Turkish Military Fails, Egypt's Succeeds

The Turkish military has long been politically weak, to which its four previous coups and its abortive intervention last weekend attest.

Steven A. Cook

Terrorism & Counterterrorism   Mar 14, 2016 Snapshot

Between Ankara and Rojava

The United States has, whether it intended to or not, midwifed Rojava and for that matter, Iraqi Kurdistan. And it cannot continue to enlist the Kurds as bulwarks of U...

Steven A. Cook

War & Military Strategy   Apr 23, 2015 Snapshot

One Hundred Years After Gallipoli

For Gallipoli’s Turkish defenders, the battle there was an important victory in defense of the Ottoman Empire. Paradoxically, it also became a touchstone of the...

Steven A. Cook

Political Development   Jun 8, 2014 Snapshot

The Banality of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

If Sisi uses his presidency to establish order, that will be an accomplishment. But it will be a small one, nothing compared to those of Nasser, the man he wishes to...

Steven A. Cook

Politics & Society   Mar 27, 2014 Snapshot

Man in the Middle

Watching Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan resort to increasingly authoritarian measures in recent months, many observers have called on President Abdullah...

Steven A. Cook

Democratization   Jan 8, 2014 Snapshot

Turkey's Democratic Mirage

During the AKP decade there have, no doubt, been important changes in Turkish politics, in particular the participation of marginalized groups. But the ongoing...

Steven A. Cook

Economics   Dec 3, 2013 Snapshot

Why Suez Still Matters

Nearly 150 years after its completion, the Suez Canal continues to inspire awe. But given recent developments in politics, economics, and security, some see it as a...

Steven A. Cook

Political Development   Jul 22, 2013 Snapshot

Presidents and Pretenders

Egypt has had its fill of heroes in the form of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar al-Sadat, Mubarak, and Morsi -- all false prophets of particular versions of modernity -- but...

Steven A. Cook

Political Development   Jun 3, 2013 Snapshot

Keep Calm, Erdogan

As the tear gas wafts over Taksim Square, there is no question that Erdogan still holds the reins of power. For one, it is hard to see how Turkey's moribund opposition...

Steven A. Cook

Political Development   Dec 2, 2012 Snapshot

Morsi's Mistake

Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood think of themselves as uniquely qualified to rebuild Egypt. Moreover, they believe that they were entrusted with doing so during this...

Steven A. Cook

Political Development   Aug 13, 2012 Snapshot

Morsi Makes His Move

Morsi's sacking of Egypt's top military officials follows a familiar playbook. Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar al-Sadat made similar moves to consolidate control when...

Steven A. Cook

Politics & Society   Jun 27, 2012 Snapshot

The Turkish Paradox

Since Recep Tayyip Erdogan took power, the world has watched closely to see if Turkey would become more democratic or more autocratic. Yet it is doing both...

Michael J. Koplow and Steven A. Cook

North Africa   Jan 25, 2012 Letter From

January 25th and the Egypt the Revolution Has Made

Hosni Mubarak professed that Egypt was growing economically and progressing politically. The harsh, hopeless reality behind those fabrications proved to be his undoing...

Steven A. Cook

Turkey   Sep 15, 2011 Snapshot

Erdogan's Middle Eastern Victory Lap

The Turkish prime minister's recent tour of Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya was meant to distract from his missteps during the Arab Spring. More importantly, it was aimed at...

Steven A. Cook

Political Development   Aug 1, 2011 Snapshot

Istanbul on the Nile

Many Egyptian military officers and some civilian politicians are interested in replicating the so-called Turkish model for Egypt, in which the military would play a...

Steven A. Cook

Political Development   Feb 2, 2011 Snapshot

The U.S.-Egyptian Breakup

With the political era of Hosni Mubarak coming to an end, is the strategic relationship between Cairo and Washington similarly finished? The Obama administration must...

Steven A. Cook

Politics & Society   Mar 26, 2010 Postscript

Is El Baradei Egypt's Hero?

The return of Mohamed El Baradei to Egypt has raised questions about the country's political system and the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Is reform possible, and if...

Steven A. Cook

Strategy & Conflict   Jul 22, 2009 Reading List

What to Read on the Middle East Peace Process

An annotated Foreign Affairs syllabus on the Middle East peace process.

Steven A. Cook