Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies

Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies
Name	Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies
Type	Think tank
Founded	1985
Headquarters	Jerusalem
Region served	International
Leader title	President
Leader name	Daniel M. Rivlin

Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies is a Jerusalem-based policy research institute associated with conservative strategic analysis and international affairs. It engages policymakers in Israel, the United States, and Europe through reports, briefings, and collaborations with academic and advocacy organizations. The institute has interacted with prominent figures and institutions across the Middle East, North America, and Eurasia.

History

Founded in 1985 amid shifting geopolitics involving Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, and the aftermath of the Cedar Revolution, the institute emerged as part of a network of policy centers that included Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Hudson Institute, Brookings Institution, and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Early activity intersected with work by George Shultz, James Baker III, Shimon Peres, Ariel Sharon, and analysts connected to RAND Corporation and International Institute for Strategic Studies. Engagements spanned dialogues with delegations from United States Department of State, missions to United Nations, and exchanges with policymakers from France, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, and Turkey.

Mission and Objectives

The institute states objectives to shape strategic policy debates involving Israel, Palestinian Authority, United States, European Union, and regional actors such as Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. It aims to inform legislators, diplomats, and military planners including those from Knesset, Israeli Defense Forces, Pentagon, NATO, and parliamentary committees in United Kingdom House of Commons, United States Congress, and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Objectives cite support for security arrangements referenced in accords like the Oslo Accords, Camp David Accords, Treaty of Paris (1856), and negotiations influenced by mediators from Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate and CIA.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Leadership has included senior fellows and directors with ties to Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Columbia University, Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University. Governance has involved advisory boards with members from Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Royal United Services Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, and retired officials from Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and United States National Security Council. Operational units have coordinated with research programs at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Bar-Ilan University, and think tanks such as Cato Institute and Stimson Center.

Research Areas and Publications

Research outputs covered topics on Iranian nuclear program, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Hezbollah, Hamas, strategic deterrence, energy geopolitics involving OPEC, and cybersecurity concerns tied to Israel Defense Forces C4I. Publications included policy papers, briefings, and reports circulated to entities like Israeli Ministry of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense, European External Action Service, and delegations to Geneva Conference and Madrid Conference (1991). Contributors and cited authors included scholars from Princeton Project on National Security, MIT, Stanford University Hoover Institution, and analysts working with International Crisis Group, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and regional institutes such as Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Policy Influence and Advocacy

The institute engaged in advocacy by advising officials in Jerusalem Municipality, briefing delegations to United Nations Security Council, and providing testimony to committees of United States Congress and forums like the World Economic Forum. It participated in coalitions with Zionist Organization of America, AIPAC, and European parliamentary friendship groups, and collaborated on conferences with Atlantic Council, European Council on Foreign Relations, and Middle East Research and Information Project. Influence manifested in consultations affecting policy discussions on sanctions targeting Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, border security planning after the Second Intifada, and strategic doctrines referenced in analyses by NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Controversies and Criticism

Critics linked the institute to partisan advocacy and questioned impartiality in work related to settlements, peace negotiations after Oslo Accords, and proposals concerning Jordan River basin arrangements. Commentators from The Guardian, New York Times, Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, Al Jazeera, and Der Spiegel debated its role. Academic critics from Tel Aviv University Department of Political Science, King's College London, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, and human rights scholars at Human Rights Watch raised concerns about policy prescriptions that intersected with actions by Israeli settlement movement and lobbying efforts in United States Congress.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding reportedly came from private donors, foundations, and international partners including philanthropic entities analogous to Carnegie Corporation, Rockefeller Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and donors with connections to business networks in New York City, London, Zurich, and Dubai. Partnerships involved cooperative programs with Hebrew University Center for International Studies, IDC Herzliya, George Mason University, University of Chicago Project on Middle East Security, and regional research centers such as Institute for National Security Studies (Israel), Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, and Middle East Forum.

Category:Think tanks