The Psychology of the Situation Room: Fireside Chat with Secretary Clinton and Dean Yarhi-Milo

Video Description

During times of instability abroad, increased polarization at home, and heightened risk of escalation and misperceptions due to AI and other technologies, decision making on foreign policy has never been harder. The challenge for leaders is managing uncertainty while avoiding “cognitive closure,” groupthink, and other biases that can feed misperceptions or lead to mistakes. This fireside chat examines the role of psychology “inside the Situation Room,” as well as the challenges this new administration will face when it comes to avoiding conflicts and making decisions, from nuclear brinksmanship to negotiating peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. "Directions Forward for Psychology in International Relations: The 3rd Annual Conference in Honor of Robert Jervis" is organized by the Saltzman Institute for War and Peace Studies. This fireside chat is cosponsored by the Institute of Global Politics. Robert Jervis made field-defining contributions to policy-relevant scholarship on the role of psychology in international conflict and the nuclear revolution in military affairs. During this conference, the new generation of experts in those fields will take stock of breakthroughs in neuroscience and the psychology of emotions, applying them to urgent practical problems of nuclear deterrence, risks of military escalation, and bargaining over the terms of peace. Speakers Keren Yarhi-Milo, Dean, Columbia School of International and Public Affairs; Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Relations; IGP Faculty Advisory Board Member Hillary Rodham Clinton, Professor of International and Public Affairs; Columbia University; 67th Secretary of State and former Senator from New York; IGP Faculty Advisory Board Chair