Institute for National Security Studies (Israel)

The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) is an independent^[1] think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University in Israel that conducts research and analysis of national security matters such as military and strategic affairs, terrorism and low intensity conflict, military balance in the Middle East, and cyber warfare.^[2]

Institute for National Security Studies

INSS campus at Tel Aviv University
Formation	1977; 47 years ago (1977)
Location	Tel Aviv, Israel
Executive Director	Tamir Hayman
Website	www.inss.org.il
Formerly called	Jaffe Center

It is considered Israel's leading security think tank^[3][4][5] and one of the top defense and national security think tanks in the world.

History

General (ret.) Amos Yadlin, former head of the Institute

INSS was founded as the Center for Strategic Studies in 1977 by General (ret.) Aharon Yariv, former IDF Military Intelligence Chief, as "Israel's first public forum for debating strategic and military affairs".^[5]

Until 2021, the INSS was led by Major General (ret.) Amos Yadlin, when Manuel Trajtenberg, the former head of the National Economic Council and Member of Knesset for the Zionist Union party, took over leadership.^[6] Since May 2024, Major General (res.) Tamir Hayman has held the position of Executive Director.

Reception

In the University of Pennsylvania's Global Go To Think Tanks Report, INSS was ranked as the best think tank in the Middle East and North Africa in 2019 and 2020.^[7][8] It ranked as the 12th best defense and national security think tank, and the 48th best non-U.S think tank in the world.^[8] The institute's study "The History of Israeli–Palestinian Negotiations" was among the list of "Best Policy Study/Report Produced by a Think Tank" for the 2013–2014 term.^[9]

Tshetshik Prize

The Lt. Col. Meir and Rachel Tshetshik Prize in Security Studies, also Tshetshik Prize for Studies on Israeli Security (and sometimes wrongly called Chechic Award^[10]), is awarded annually for books and research publications "directly related to Israel's national security challenges".^[11] In 2023, the prize was accompanied by prize money amounting to 30,000 NIS.^[11]

See also

• National Security College (Israel)

References

1. Israel ponders border security, enlarged military amid Egypt unrest
2. "INSS – Institute for National Security Studies : EuroMeSCo – Euro-Mediterranean Research, Dialogue, Advocacy". www.euromesco.net.
3. Tobin, Andrew (2017-01-03). "Israel's top security experts redraw West Bank map for the Trump era". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 5 October 2023. Israel's leading security think tank
4. Sokol, Sam (2023-07-23). "Leading Security Think Tank Says Israel in 'Most Severe' Crisis, Calls to Halt Legislation". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 October 2023. one of the country's leading security think tanks
5. Khalidi, Ahmad Samih (Spring 2017). "Strategic Survey for Israel, 2016-2017". Journal of Palestine Studies. 46 (3): 75–89. doi:10.1525/jps.2017.46.3.75. JSTOR 26378692. Retrieved 5 October 2023. one of Israel's foremost strategic studies centers
6. Jerusalem Post Staff (March 1, 2021). "INSS: Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg to replace Amos Yadlin as director". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
7. "ScholarlyCommons :: Home". repository.upenn.edu.
8. McGann, James (2021-01-28). "2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report" (PDF). Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
9. "The 2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index". University of Pennsylvania. 2015-02-04. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
10. "Amos Harel". Tel Aviv University. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
11. Lt. Col. Meir and Rachel Tshetshik Prize for Strategic Studies on Israel's Security, INSS website, accessed 27 December 2023.