The Tikvah Advanced Institutes

This institute is reserved for Israeli applicants.
Instructor: Eliot Cohen
Stipend: $1,000 

War poses the greatest challenge to leaders. In wartime, statesmen must maximize their abilities, harness the resources of their country, and lead their publics to victory. It is not a simple test: Success is demanded, while defeat carries great cost and pain. Nor is history fair: It frequently makes such demands on leaders.

How did great leaders of the past deal with these challenges? What strategies did they pursue, what calculations did they make, where did they focus greatest effort, how they take decisions, and how did they define victory? We will study these questions by reviewing the records of two great leaders – Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill – who fought and won two wars that changed the face of history. We will also examine the relevance of the lessons learned for Israeli decision-making in war and peace.

Over three days in Jerusalem, we will study these matters with Prof. Eliot Cohen, the Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, where he is founding director of the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies. He has also taught at Harvard University and the US Naval War College, and served in the US Department of Defense and the State Department.

Who Should Apply?

This institute is aimed at Israeli men and women who wish to influence the intellectual, religious, and political life of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Applicants may include those pursuing study or careers in Israeli public policy (including in the military, and defense and foreign policy establishments), the rabbinate, academia, journalism, Jewish education, Jewish communal leadership, law, and business. Applications are now closed

Time, Location, and Additional Details

The institute will take place in Jerusalem, and requires a full time commitment for three days. (Stipends are valued in U.S. dollars, but are dispersed to Israeli participants in shekels based on the exchange rate on the date of payment).