Yaacov Vertzberger is Professor Emeritus in the Department of International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Research areas: International Relations Theory, Southeast Asia, Political Economy, Political PsychologyHe was a leading figure in political psychology and foreign policy decision-making, particularly in analyzing how cognitive processes—perception, information processing, and risk evaluation—shaped leaders’ choices. He also pioneered the integration of East and South Asian area studies into international relations theory. His research explored historical analogy in decision-making, collective political trauma, and misperception in international conflict. Through his teaching and scholarship, Vertzberger helped establish political psychology as a central field within Israeli international relations.

Selected works:

• Misperceptions In Foreign Policymaking: The Sino-indian Conflict 1959-1962 (Westview, 1984)
• The World in Their Minds: Information Processing, Cognition, and Perception in Foreign Policy Decision Making (Stanford University Press, 1993)
• Risk Taking and Decision Making: Foreign Military Intervention Decisions (Stanford University Press, 1998)