Keren Yarhi-Milo

Keren Yarhi-Milo is the Arnold A. Saltzman Professor of War and Peace Studies in the Political Science Department and the School of International and Public Affairs. She is also the Director of the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University. She was formerly an Associate Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University’s Politics Department and the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. Her research and teaching focus on international relations and foreign policy, with a particular specialization in international security, including foreign policy decision-making, interstate communication and crisis bargaining, intelligence, and US foreign policy in the Middle East.

Professor Yarhi-Milo’s book (Princeton University Press, 2014) titled, “Knowing The Adversary: Leaders, Intelligence Organizations, and Assessments of Intentions in International Relations,” received the 2016 Furnnis Award for best book in the field of international security. Also, it is Co-Winner of the 2016 DPLST Book Prize, Diplomatic Studies Section of the International Studies Association. This book explores how and why civilian leaders and intelligence organizations select and interpret an adversary’s signals of intentions differently. Her new book, titled "Who Fights for Reputation? The Psychology of Leaders in International Conflict" is forthcoming with Princeton University Press (2018). Professor Yarhi-Milo’s articles have been published or are forthcoming in International Studies Quarterly, International Organization, International Security, and Security Studies.

She holds a Ph.D. and a Master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A., summa cum laude, in Political Science from Columbia University.