Career
He brokered an end to the Eritrean-Ethiopian War in 1991, and conflicts in Angola and Mozambique. Cohen, born in New York City in 1932, received a Bachelor in political science from the City College of New York in 1953. He then joined the United States Army, serving until 1955.
He received an Master of Arts in international relations from American University in 1962.
He served in the Foreign Service as a consular officer, attaché, and political counselor until his appointment to the post of United States Ambassador to Gambia and Senegal in 1977, serving until 1980. He later served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research from 1980-1984, a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Africa on the United States. National Security Council from 1987-1989, and United States. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 1989-1993.
Cohen served as a senior advisor to the Global Coalition for Africa before becoming a professorial lecturer at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies for twelve years. Currently he is president and Chief Executive Officer of Cohen and Woods International, a lobbying firm that has represented the governments of Angola and Zimbabwe.
He also serves on the Board of Directors of Hyperdynamics Oil and Gas and as a consultant for ContourGlobal.
