Robert Jervis lecturing in Washington, D.C., March 2012
National Defense University Press

If Donald Trump’s presidency taught anything to scholars of international relations, it is that the psychology of leaders matters a great deal. But that basic truth was one that our mentor and friend Robert Jervis, who passed away on December 9, 2021, had long stressed: in seeking to understand both behavior and outcomes in world affairs, Jervis championed the role of individuals’ perceptions and formative experiences rather than just broad political, social, and economic forces. His brilliant insights reflected a full embrace of the complexity of international politics.

Over the course of six decades, Jervis made landmark contributions to the understanding

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  • THOMAS J. CHRISTENSEN is James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations and Interim Dean at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where he directs the China and the World Program. 
  • KEREN YARHI-MILO is Arnold A. Saltzman Professor of War and Peace Studies and Director of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.
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