In this paper, we explore the benefits, from the perspective of degrees of freedom (DOF), of user cooperation and cognitive message sharing for a two-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian interference channel with M1, M2 antennas at transmitters and N1, N2 antennas at receivers. For the case of user cooperation (including cooperation at transmitters only, at receivers only, and at transmitters as well as receivers), the sum DOF is min{M1 +M2, N1 +N2, max(M1, N2), max(M2, N1)}, which is the same as the sum DOF of the channel without cooperation. For the case of cognitive message sharing, the sum DOF is min{M1 + M2, N1 + N2, (1 - 1T 2)((1 1R2) max(M1, N2) + 1R2(M1 + N2)) + 1T 2(M1 + M2), (1 - 1T 1)((1 - 1R1) max(M2, N1) + 1R1(M2 + N1)) + 1T 1(M1 + M2)} where 1T i = 1 (0) when transmitter i is (is not) a cognitive transmitter and 1Ri is defined in the same fashion. Our results show that while both techniques may increase the sum capacity of the MIMO interference channel, on...