Roger Cohen

Roger Cohen was born in England, grew up there and in South Africa, and graduated from the University of Oxford. In 1990 he moved to the United States to work for The New York Times and became a naturalized citizen that same year. Over more than three decades with the Times, he has been a foreign editor, opinion columnist, and foreign correspondent. In his current post as Paris bureau chief, he covers France and Europe, plus the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. His great interest lies in personal stories that reveal the life of a nation and its people.

Cohen believes it’s easier to assimilate in the United States than any other country. “That’s why I love it,” he told NPR. “That’s why I became an American citizen. You can’t imagine what a relief it was as a Jew to arrive in New York City. Even the most open of European societies has nothing like the openness of the United States, which is a country that is still — in my view — endlessly enriched by immigration.”

As part of Times reporting teams, he received the 2023 Pulitzer Prize and a George Polk Award for covering the war in Ukraine, as well as a 2024 George Polk Award for covering the war between Israel and Hamas. Cohen is the author of five books, including The Girl from Human Street: Ghosts of Memory in a Jewish Family and An Affirming Flame: Meditations on Life and Politics.