Why do hawkish leaders change course to pursue dovish policies? Ziv argues that conventional international relations theory underestimates the importance of leaders and their personalities, rendering it inadequate for explaining momentous foreign policy shifts. Applying insights from cognitive psychology, Ziv offers an elite-driven explanation of foreign policy change. The author argues that decision makers’ cognitive structure—specifically, their levels of cognitive openness and complexity—is a critical causal variable in determining their propensity to revise their beliefs and pursue new policies. The primary case explored here is that of Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, a longtime security hawk who became champion of Arab-Israeli peacemaking. 

For Guy Ziv's short bio, please click here.