Yael Aronoff, Ph.D., director of Jewish studies at Michigan State University, will present “The Political Psychology of Israeli Prime Ministers” on Monday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, continuing the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies’ 20th anniversary Shaol & Louis Pozez Memorial Lectureship Series on “Israel: 20th Century Ideal to 21st Century Reality.”
Do leaders matter? How does the personality and worldview of leaders shape the course of war and peace? Aronoff will examine the psychology and decision-making processes of key Israeli prime ministers of the last 30 years, showing how and why their views and decisions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict shifted and developed over time, leading some to persist in their positions, while others opted to make dramatic changes.
Aronoff holds the Michael and Elaine Serling and Friends Chair in Israel Studies at MSU’s James Madison College, where she is associate professor of international relations. She received the MSU 2011 Teacher-Scholar Award. She is the author of “The Political Psychology of Israeli Prime Ministers: When Hard-Liners Opt for Peace,” published in 2014 by Cambridge University Press. She has published in Foreign Policy, Israel Studies, Israel Studies Review (where she also serves as book review editor), Israel Studies Forum and Political Science Quarterly. She serves on the board of directors of the Association of Israel Studies, and led the MSU Jewish Studies summer program at Hebrew University’s Rothberg School in 2007, 2010 and 2013.
For more information, call 626-5758 or visit judaic.arizona.edu.
