Alexander Cooley is the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. From 2015-2021 he served as the fifteenth director of Columbia University's Harriman Institute and from 2022-2025 served as the Vice Provost for Research at Barnard College. Professor Cooley's research examines how international actors have influenced the governance, sovereignty, and security of the post-Communist states. His latest book is Dictating the Agenda; the Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics, co-authored with Alexander Dukalskis (Oxford 2025). In addition to his academic publications, Professor Cooley's commentaries have appeared in Foreign Affairs, New York Times, and Washington Post, and he has testified for the US Congress, UK Parliament, and the Parliament of Canada.
