Alexander A. Cooley

About the Author

Alexander A. Cooley is a distinguished scholar and author specializing in international relations, with a keen focus on the geopolitical dynamics of Central Asia and authoritarian regimes. As the Claire Tow Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University, he has dedicated his career to examining how power structures transcend national boundaries, influencing global politics through economic and strategic maneuvers. Cooley's research draws on extensive fieldwork and archival analysis, offering incisive critiques of how dictators maintain influence abroad. His seminal work, Dictators Without Borders: Power and Money in Central Asia, co-authored with John Heathershaw, illuminates the shadowy networks of corruption and transnational repression that sustain autocratic rule in the post-Soviet space. Through his writing, Cooley bridges academic rigor with accessible prose, making complex international issues understandable to a broad audience.