Stephen P. Cohen (Middle East scholar) facts for kids
Stephen Philip Cohen (May 28, 1945 – January 25, 2017) was a smart person who studied the Middle East. He worked to help countries in that region find peace. In 1979, he started an organization called the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development. He was the leader of this institute, which is located at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Stephen Cohen's Life and Work
Stephen Cohen was born in Quebec, Canada, on May 28, 1945. His family came from Lithuania and Romania. He went to McGill University and earned a first degree. Later, he got a special advanced degree (a Ph.D.) from Harvard University. He studied social psychology, which is about how people think and act in groups.
Helping People Talk
Early in his career, Stephen Cohen focused on helping Israelis and Palestinians talk to each other. These groups had disagreements, and he wanted to help them find solutions. He even wrote a book about how small groups from both sides could work together.
He taught at several famous universities, including Harvard University, Hebrew University, Princeton University, and Lehigh University.
Working for Peace
In the 1970s, Stephen Cohen played an important role in peace talks. He helped leaders from Egypt and Israel communicate. For example, he helped Egypt's President Anwar Sadat and Israel's leader Moshe Dayan talk to each other.
He also set up the first meetings between other important figures. These included Shimon Peres and Anwar Sadat, and also Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Abba Eban with leaders from Egypt's National Democratic Party (Egypt). Because of his work, Moshe Dayan and Boutros Boutros Ghali (who later became the head of the United Nations) encouraged him to create his own institute for peace.
Stephen Cohen built strong connections with leaders in Arab countries and with Israeli politicians. He worked with people from different political groups, like the Labor Party and the Likud Party.
From 1990 to 2000, he also worked for another group called the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation. This was a different organization from the one he founded.
Stephen Cohen lived in Teaneck, New Jersey, for a long time. He passed away there on January 25, 2017, at the age of 71.
