Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg is selected by the INSS Board of Directors to head the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), replacing Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, who is completing a decade as Executive Director of the Institute
March 1, 2021
Sir Frank Lowy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), has announced the appointment of Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg as the new head of INSS. Prof. Trajtenberg will assume the position in May 2021, succeeding Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin.
After a decade as the head of INSS, General Yadlin decided to step down from his post on May 1, 2021, upon the termination of his contract. Over the past decade, General Yadlin has positioned the Institute as an independent, influential think tank in Israel and abroad and led it to its current renown, where it is ranked as the leading think tank in the Middle East and North Africa and one of the twelve leading think tanks in the world in the fields of defense and national security.
Sir Frank Lowy, Chairman of the INSS Board of Directors, expressed his gratitude and deep appreciation for General Yadlin: "Amos Yadlin has positioned INSS as a leading center for national security research and strategic analysis in Israel and the world. Under his leadership, INSS has established itself as an advisory body for decision makers and policymakers engaged in the management of strategic challenges – from ‘traditional’ national security issues such as the Iranian nuclear threat, to unique national security crises such as the multi-faceted COVID-19 crisis that has dominated our lives over the past year."
The Board of Directors has authorized Prof. Trajtenberg to expand the Institute’s areas of activity and research by establishing a new program for social and economic research, while continuing the ongoing research programs. The integration of this new program with existing research activity will strengthen the Institute’s ability to contribute to policy shaping in the fields of security, economy, and society, which converge to form the core of resilience in the State of Israel.
Prof. Trajtenberg brings with him rich experience in academia as well as in senior public positions, which equips him to lead the Institute in the face of new challenges. He is Professor Emeritus at the Eitan Berglas School of Economics at Tel Aviv University, which he joined after completing a doctorate in economics at Harvard University. In the course of his academic activity, Prof. Trajtenberg acquired international renown for his original research on innovation, R&D, patents, and growth. In 2006 he founded the National Economic Council in the Prime Minister’s Office, served as its first chairman, and was a central member of the Brodet Security Budget Committee, which he initiated following the Second Lebanon War. He was formerly chairman of the Planning & Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education, and head of the Committee for Social and Economic Change, which became known as the Trajtenberg Committee, to deal with the high cost of living in Israel. In March 2015 he was elected to the 20th Knesset as a member of the Zionist Camp. For the last three years he has led the 100 Days Project in the Samuel Neaman Institute at the Technion, which seeks to formulate a socio-economic agenda in important areas such as health, transportation, preschool education, and fiscal policy.
Commenting on the appointment, Sir Lowy said: “Prof. Trajtenberg is the right person to lead INSS toward a broader concept of national security, which will include in-depth research in the fields of society and economy, adding to the excellent existing research work of the INSS team. I believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the fact that national security is not only a matter of military strength, but also demands resilience and solidarity in Israeli society. In the name of the Board of Directors, I want to express our deep gratitude to Amos Yadlin for his outstanding success in leading the Institute over the past decade, making it a research institute of the first order in Israel and the region.”
General (ret.) Yadlin congratulated Prof. Trajtenberg, adding: “During the decade that I have led the Institute, the INSS research team and I defined a focused strategy of expertise and excellence in the field of classical national security. The Institute’s researchers specialize in several areas: the security of Israel, diplomacy and foreign relations, the Middle East, army and strategy, intelligence, diplomacy, and many more. In these fields we have achieved the status of the leading think tank and research institute in Israel, and one of the leaders in the world. Today, INSS is a policy-focused research institute and think tank whose work is read and noted, and influences decision makers, professional staffs, the media, and the public, in Israel and worldwide.”
“I wish Prof. Trajtenberg every success in leading the Institute to new and challenging areas,” General Yadlin said. “The key to future success is high quality, professional, and independent research, the ability to influence through access to decision makers and the media, focus and leadership in the field of national security, and recognition of the Institute’s relative advantages, which make its voice particularly relevant.”
Prof. Trajtenberg expressed his thanks to Sir Frank Lowy and to the Board of Directors for their trust in him, and for the opportunity to lead the Institute in a time of intense policy challenges currently facing the State of Israel in the fields of security, economy, and society. Prof. Trajtenberg praised his predecessor, saying, “Amos Yadlin leaves behind a rich legacy of uncompromising research excellence, which underlies the Institute’s impressive reputation. I am confident that on the basis of this foundation, and with the commitment of the wonderful INSS team, we will successfully meet the challenges before us and together climb to new heights.”