About

INSS will be the most valued independent think tank influencing Israel’s long-term national security policy…

INSS conducts research in the multiplicity of fields that comprise security studies and impact on strategic issues relating to Israel’s national security. Basic research complements analysis of issues of the day. The practical application of INSS research takes the form of “out of the box” thinking and the design of policy options for decision makers in government, the defense establishment, the strategic community, and the private sector. Research is conducted by a unique mix of academics, strategists, and practitioners from government, the military, diplomatic corps, and other relevant fields…

In a reaction to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Tel Aviv University decided to establish a Center for Security Studies. A number of individuals within and outside the University community posited that one possible reason for Israel’s having been caught by surprise on October 6, 1973 was that no institution outside the Israeli establishment had assumed the responsibility of evaluating the premises on which government policy was based – premises that also guided the planning and conduct of Israel’s defense establishment. Had such a research institute existed, it might have questioned the assumptions leading to the intelligence assessment that war was unlikely….

The Institute’s Board of Directors is chaired by Sir Frank Lowy, AC, co-founder and chairman of the Westfield Group and Chairman of the Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia). Professor Itamar Rabinovich, former ambassador and president of Tel Aviv University, serves as the vice chairman. The Board includes eight other members with distinguished records in academia, foreign affairs, security, and business…

The Neubauer Research Fellowships Program, Tshetshik Prize in Security Studies, Emily B. Landau Annual Prize for Research in Arms Control and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction…

The Institute for National Security Studies encourages the integration of young researchers in INSS internships. Internships have the dual goal of contributing to the development of young and promising researchers with an interest in national security issues; and assisting INSS researchers with their work. We offer internship positions to graduate students and academics with backgrounds in international relations, political science, Middle East studies, and other relevant degrees in considering the research program applied for….