ERIS Vol. 5, Issue 1/2018, pp. 115–119 https://doi.org/10.3224/eris.v5i1.13 Robert Jervis, How Statesmen Think: The Psychology of International Politics (Princeton University Press, 2017), pp. 304, ISBN 9780691176444 Reviewed by Nadav Kedem University of Haifa It is a pleasure to review a book by Robert Jervis, one of IR’s most notable scholars. The book assembles 12 publications in political psychology he authored along the years. Jervis, as always, is the master of deep, counter-intuitive, hard-to-observe, insights. He makes arguments and skillfully turns them upside down. He demonstrates and explains in a highly engaging manner how reality can be so contrarian to our expectation and how well-established theoretically-observed patterns can easily break. Jervis is a great teacher of critical and theoretical thinking irrespective of the political psychology focus. One cannot read this book without reconsidering his or her views on major IR events and theories as well as epistemological views. Thus, the book can be useful to any social scientist, practitioner as well as the general public. As a compendium of select publications, the book presents numerous specifc arguments. However, its overall theme is an approach, a language and a way of thinking and looking into IR. Jervis presents and explains known, yet highly elusive, key concepts: beliefs, emotions, perceptions, biases and identity. Then he skillfully utilizes them in various settings while deepening our understanding of these concepts as well as their interesting and often surprising role and impact. In particular, he shows how various psychological needs shape our beliefs and perceptions and how limited and ‘irrational’ is our thinking process (thus, crucial to explore). Too often, we opt for shortcuts in our thinking and “look for the keys under the lamp.” At times, the underlining argument challenges ‘elegant’ economics-derived approaches, rather than presenting a full stand-alone parsimonious alternative. In Jervis’ words: “standard notations of rationality are not so much incorrect as insufcient” (p. 3). Specifcally, Jervis takes issues with Thomas Schelling and two of his highly infuential books: “The Strategy of Confict” 1 and “Arms and Infuence”. 2 Jervis argues in the introduction chapter that he fnds political psychology as a via media between parsimony and complexity. He both recognizes the need to look for patterns and generalization, while being fully aware of their grave limitations. Interestingly, in chapter fve: “Signaling and perception: projecting images and drawing inferences”, Jervis explores the possibility of combining signaling and game 1 Schelling, Thomas C. 1960. The strategy of confict. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 2 Schelling, Thomas C. 1966. Arms and infuence. New Haven: Yale University Press.