Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson professor of international politics, passes away aged 81

Upper West Side NY

17 December, 2021

2:28 PM

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Columbia Daily Spectator BY ABBY MELBOURNE DECEMBER 13, 2021 Robert Jervis, the Adlai E. Stevenson professor of international politics, passed away from lung cancer complications in his home on Dec. 9. He was 81 years old. A press release from the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies remembers Jervis as "a husband, father, and grandfather extraordinaire, a giant in his field of International Relations, a mentor to legions of younger scholars, an enthusiastic provider of feedback to university administrators, a museum goer and opera lover, a skilled napper, and a pioneer of the capsule wardrobe." Growing up in New York City attending the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Jervis's formative memories were of World War II and the Cold War, planting questions about nuclear deterrence that would shape his early scholarship. A "committed Democrat from the start," Jervis began his career in politics at age 12 by handing out presidential campaign literature for Adlai Stevenson, the namesake of his endowed professorship. After completing his undergraduate studies at Oberlin College, during which time he met his wife, Kathe, on a student trip to the Soviet Union, he began his doctorate in political science at the University of California, Berkeley in 1962. While at UC Berkeley, he became a leader in the Students for a Democratic Society and a participant in the anti-war demonstrations of the late 1960s. Following a postdoctoral position at Harvard University, his first professorial role at University of California, Los Angeles, and a consulting position with the CIA, he returned to New York City in 1980 to teach at Columbia, where he remained on faculty until his death. Jervis's doctoral thesis on rational choice and constructivism, "The Logic of Images in International Relations," accomplished the rare feat of still being in print 50 years after its initial publication. His influence was further compounded by his seminal work, "Perception and Misperception In International Politics," in which he created the foundational international relations concepts of the security dilemma and spiral model. Jervis viewed himself as an "institution-builder," having arrived at Columbia during a period of struggle for the University following the turmoil of the 1968 protests and financial struggles of the 1970s. He played a major role in increasing both the size and scope of the political science faculty, bridging subfield, generational, and methodological differences through his organization of group lunches and seminars. While at Columbia as a member of the Saltzman Institute, Jervis continued to be a prolific scholar, publishing the widely cited "The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution" and "System Effects: Complexity in Political Life." His numerous academic and career honors include election to the National Academy of Sciences and American Philosophical Society and his presidency of the American Political Science Association. Resistant to a stiff academic label as a realist, Jervis cultivated an unshakeable reputation as a stalwart Dodgers fan, wearer of red turtlenecks, and a "gentle giant" of the international relations field. Perhaps rivaling his reputation as one of the field's most prolific and influential scholars, however, was his reputation as a generous teacher and mentor. While at Columbia, he consistently taught Introduction to International Politics and a popular undergraduate seminar on the Cold War. Reflecting on his career for the Annual Review of Political Science, he wrote of the "pleasures of having been able to work with such a broad array of committed young people and following [his] own interests where they take [him]." A memorial hosted by the School of International and Public Affairs is planned for the spring. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.