Inside the Situation Room The Theory and Practice of Crisis Decision-Making

by Clinton, Hillary Rodham; Yarhi-Milo, Keren

• ISBN13: 9780197791004
• ISBN10: 019779100X
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780197791028
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2025-09-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• More Book Details

Summary

Combining decades of diplomacy and world-renowned scholarship, Inside the Situation Room bridges the gap between politics and academia to illuminate how world leaders make decisions in times of crisis.

For decades, people have sought to understand how and why decisions are made in times of crisis, but very few get the opportunity to witness leaders' decision-making process. The result has been a persistent disconnect between the theory and the practice of decision-making.

Now, a former US Secretary of State has joined forces with a world-renowned scholar to bridge that gap, first in their ground-breaking class at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and now in the pages of this book. In Inside the Situation Room, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dr. Keren Yarhi-Milo bring together insights from more than a dozen leading policymakers and scholars so readers can experience a masterclass in global policy and crisis decision-making. The book includes everything from the psychology and mechanics of threat assessment; the role of advisors; the effects of group think and trust; real-life stories of diplomatic efforts and covert operations; how women have shaped decisions over peace and security; and the impact of public opinion.

Inside the Situation Room offers an insider look at how decisions are actually made, what theoretical insights might be useful to current and future generations of leaders, and where research still needs to be done. This book will serve as the first step toward a new standard engagement: more active, iterative collaboration among two communities—scholars and practitioners—who have a great deal to contribute and learn from one another.

Author Biography

Hillary Rodham Clinton has spent over five decades in public service as an advocate, attorney, First Lady, US Senator, US Secretary of State, and presidential candidate. As sixty-seventh US Secretary of State, her "smart power" approach to foreign policy repositioned American diplomacy and development for the twenty-first century. Clinton played a central role in restoring America's standing in the world, reasserting the United States as a Pacific power, imposing crippling sanctions on Iran and North Korea, responding to the Arab Awakening, negotiating a ceasefire in the Middle East, and championing human rights, democracy, and opportunities for women and girls. In her historic 2016 campaign for President of the United States, Clinton won sixty-six million votes. She is the author of eleven best-selling books, host of the podcast You and Me Both, founder of the global production studio HiddenLight Productions, a producer of the Broadway musical "Suffs," Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, and a Professor of Practice at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University where she cofounded with Dr. Keren Yarhi-Milo the Institute of Global Politics. She and former US President Bill Clinton have one daughter, Chelsea, three grandchildren: Charlotte, Aidan, and Jasper, and reside in New York.

Keren Yarhi-Milo is the Dean of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Relations at Columbia University. An expert in international security, crisis decision-making, and political psychology, Yarhi-Milo is the author of two award-winning books--Who Fights for Reputation: The Psychology of Leaders in International Conflict (Princeton University Press, 2018) and Knowing the Adversary: Leaders, Intelligence, and Assessment of Intentions in International Relations (Princeton University Press, 2014). She has published extensively in top academic journals, as well as in the pages of Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. In 2023, Yarhi-Milo cofounded and launched with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia University. Yarhi-Milo earned her PhD in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Keren Yarhi-Milo

Chapter 1
The Challenges of Threat Assessment: Does Danger Depend on Who You Ask?
Don Casler and Keren Yarhi-Milo

Chapter 2
The Role of Advisers: How Ideas and Agenda-Setting Shape International Crises
Tyler Jost, Joshua D. Kertzer, Eric Min, and Robert Schub

Chapter 3
How Emotions Shape Crisis Decision-Making: The Role of Fear, Anger, and Risk
Rose McDermott

Chapter 4
The Trust Gap: Why Face-to-Face Diplomacy Matters in Global Crises
Marcus Holmes

Chapter 5
The Iran Deal: Making Decisions Count in Multilateral Diplomacy
Catherine Ashton

Chapter 6
The Challenges of Effective Statecraft: An Examination of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Dennis Ross

Chapter 7
How Coercive Diplomacy Works: Making Threats in International Crises
Reid B. C. Pauly and Jessica Chen Weiss

Chapter 8
When Coercive Diplomacy Doesn't Work: Lessons Learned Through Failures with a Hostile Adversary
John J. Sullivan

Chapter 9
The Unique Challenges of Covert Missions: How Leaders Assess the "Quiet Option"
Austin Carson

Chapter 10
The Baghdadi Operation: A Quickly and Quietly Orchestrated Plan
Robert C. O'Brien

Chapter 11
The Bin Laden Operation: How a President Made a Risky Decision
Leon E. Panetta

Chapter 12
Evolving Public Opinion: The Invisible Decision-Makers in the Room
Elizabeth N. Saunders and Jessica L. P. Weeks

Chapter 13
Public Opinion Matters: How and Why Citizens Have Influence
Victoria Nuland

Conclusion
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Keren Yarhi-Milo