Alexander Cooley

Alexander Cooley

Professor of Political Science and Vice Provost for Research and Academic Centers

Barnard College, Columbia University, United States

Alexander Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science and Vice Provost for Research, Libraries and Academic Centers at Barnard College of Columbia University. From 2015-21 he served as the 15th Director of Columbia's Harriman Institute for the Study of Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe. Professor Cooley’s research examines how international actors have influenced the governance, sovereignty, and security of the post-Communist states, with a focus Central Asia and the Caucasus. His academic books include Dictators without Borders: Power and Money in Central Asia (Yale 2017) and Exit from Hegemony: The Unravelling of the American Global Order (Oxford 2020) and his commentaries have appeared in Foreign Affairs, New York Times, and Washington Post. Professor Cooley has testified for the US Congress, UK Parliament and the Parliament of Canada on regional issues related to his research. and he serves on a broad range of international working groups and advisory committees engaged with the Eurasian region. Professor Cooley currently chairs the Faculty Advisory Board of Columbia University's new established Global Center in Athens.