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

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; 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.

1 - The Challenges of Threat Assessment: Does Danger Depend on Who You Ask?
2 - The Role of Advisers: How Ideas Shape International Crises
3 - How Emotions Shape Crisis Decision-Making: The Role of Fear, Anger, and Risk
4 - The Trust Gap: Why Face-to-Face Diplomacy Matters in Global Crises
5 - The Iran Deal: Making Decisions Count in Multilateral Diplomacy
6 - The Challenges of Effective Statecraft: An Examination of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
7 - How Coercive Diplomacy Works: Making Threats in International Crises
8 - When Coercive Diplomacy Doesn't Work: Lessons Learned Through Failures with a Hostile Adversary
9 - The Unique Challenges of Covert Missions: How Leaders Assess the "Quiet Option"
10 - The Baghdadi Operation: A Quickly and Quietly Orchestrated Plan
11 - The Bin Laden Operation: How a President Made a Risky Decision
12 - Women's Participation in Security Processes: A Strategic Imperative
13 - The Elusive Role of Public Opinion: The Invisible Decision-Makers in the Room
14 - Public Opinion Matters: How and Why Citizens Have Influence in the Situation Room

Hillary Rodham Clinton has spent over five decades in public service as an advocate, attorney, First Lady, U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State, and presidential candidate. As the 67th U.S. 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, founder of the global production studio HiddenLight Productions, a producer of the Broadway musical Suffs, Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and Faculty Advisory Board Chair of Columbia's Institute of Global Politics. Keren Yarhi-Milo is Dean of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and the Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Relations. She is a renowned scholar and leading authority on international security, foreign policy decision-making, and political psychology, and author of two award-winning books: Who Fights for Reputation: The Psychology of Leaders in International Conflict (Princeton University Press, 2018), winner of both the American Political Science Association's Foreign Policy Section Book Award and the International Studies Association's Best Foreign Policy Book Award; and Knowing the Adversary: Leaders, Intelligence, and Assessment of Intentions in International Relations (Princeton University Press, 2014), winner of the Edgar S. Furniss Book Award in International Security Studies. She has published extensively in leading academic journals as well as in Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Yarhi-Milo serves as editor of the Princeton Studies in International History and Politics book series. In 2023, she cofounded the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia University with Secretary Clinton as a hub for interdisciplinary engagement on global challenges. Yarhi-Milo earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.