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Michael A. Cohen

Michael A. Cohen is a columnist for MSNBC and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic Studies at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. He writes a newsletter on American politics and foreign policy called Truth and Consequences.

All Articles
February 18, 2025
Michael A. Cohen
Francis Fukuyama Was Right About Liberal Democracy
For all of its faults and weaknesses, no serious competitor has emerged to capture people’s imagination or seriously challenge it.
February 8, 2023
Michael A. Cohen
Know Who the Balloon Incident Is Really Embarrassing For? China.
No, the incident does not reveal that the United States is in decline. It shows China’s incompetence, poor planning, and poor coordination.
June 8, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
Does Biden Really Think the Saudis Will Help Him on Gas Prices?
The president is desperate for some relief at the pump for Americans before November—even if it means shaking the hand of Jamal Khashoggi’s killer.
May 10, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
If These Intel Leaks Don’t Stop, We Could Be Headed for Conflict With Russia
And it’s not just the leakers. It’s Biden and his top officials openly speaking of crippling Russia.
April 28, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
Lloyd Austin Raised the Stakes in Ukraine in a Risky Way
The Pentagon chief’s statement suggests a willingness to see the war prolonged. Which just means more unpredictable things could happen.
April 8, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
Why Bucha Is a Turning Point—and Why That’s So Ominous
Fresh evidence of atrocities in Ukraine mean we must penalize Russia even more. But let’s not be blind to the global consequences.
March 28, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
Biden’s Regime Change Misstatement Will Make It Harder to End the War
Good for Joe for saying the quiet part out loud? Not quite. The president’s comment makes the road to peace longer—and rockier.
March 18, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
If Xi Wants Out of His Putin Bromance, He Sure Isn’t Acting Like It
Biden spent nearly two hours trying to convince the Chinese leader to ditch Russia. But China is pretty dug in.
March 10, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
How Aggressive Sanctions Against Putin and Russia Over Ukraine Could Backfire
Sanctions aren’t really intended to punish. They’re intended to change behavior. And often they do—but for the worse.
February 24, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
Make No Mistake—Russia Has Already Lost This War
Putin has spent eight years trying, and failing, to dominate Ukraine. The commencement of hostilities is an admission of that failure.
February 11, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
On Ukraine, Biden Is Dead Right to Ignore the “Do Something” Crowd
Whenever global trouble boils, our foreign policy big shots say U.S. credibility is at stake unless we act. Alas, the record shows that acting is often where the problems start.
January 25, 2022
Michael A. Cohen
Why Is Biden Compounding Trump’s Mistake on Iran?
The president’s fear of blowback has him slow-walking the Iran deal—while Tehran is getting closer to building a bomb.
December 8, 2021
Michael A. Cohen
Yes, Putin Might Invade Ukraine. But that’s Ukraine’s Problem, Not Ours.
Joe Biden can’t let the U.S. get sucked into a possible Russia-Ukraine conflict. What he can do is help all sides save face.
November 19, 2021
Michael A. Cohen
No, Neocons, China Is Not About to Invade Taiwan
With Afghanistan in the rearview mirror, U.S. hawks turn their sights to China as the new battleground. They may be waiting a long time.
October 18, 2021
Michael A. Cohen
The Foreign Policy “Credibility” Argument Is, Well, Not Credible
The idea that Joe Biden squandered American credibility in the Afghan withdrawal is seductive, but it connects the wrong dots.
September 20, 2021
Michael A. Cohen
The Risk of a Terror Attack From Afghanistan Is Quite Low, Actually
It’s not that the Taliban are nice fellows. It’s just no longer in their self-interest to harbor Al Qaeda—which is pretty decimated anyway.
October 12, 2010
Michael A. Cohen
Only the U.S. Military Is Hopeful About Afghanistan
June 11, 2010
Michael A. Cohen
All Silent on the Lefty Front
Why haven’t progressives mounted more of a challenge to the war in Afghanistan?
October 29, 2009
Michael A. Cohen
DISPUTATIONS: False Dichotomy
We have more options in Afghanistan than Biddle lets on.

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