Jeffrey D. Berejikian

• PhD., University of Oregon, Political Science, 1995
• MS, University of Oregon, Political Science, 1991
• BS, California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, 1988

Dr. Jeffrey D. Berejikian is a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor a the University of Georgia, and Professor in the Department of International Affairs. Dr. Berejikian earned his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon, and held a previous appointment with the University of Tennessee.  Dr. Berejikain’s research integrates findings from cognitive psychology and neuroscience with contemporary foreign policy and appears in the top journals in the discipline, including the American Political Science Review, Political Psychology, and the Journal of Conflict Resolution. Dr. Berejikian has applied this approach to a broad set of topics including interstate conflict, military deterrence, environmental politics, human rights, nuclear proliferation, social revolution, democratic theory, and trade policy. His book, “International Relations Under Risk” is published by SUNY Press. It explores the conditions under which governments take inordinate risks in the conduct of their foreign  policy, and has been translated into Korean.  Dr. Berejikian has been invited  to discuss his research on National Public Radio and has been asked to offer recommendations to the U.S. government in the formation of deterrence policy.

• Foreign Policy
• American Nuclear and Conventional Deterrence Policy
• Psychology and Foreign Policy Decision Making
• International Relations Theory
• Information Warfare & Foreign (Dis)information Campaigns

• University System of Georgia Chancellors Learning Scholar
• University of Georgia First Year Oddssey Outstanding Teaching Award
• University of Georgia Creative Teaching Award
• Innovative Instruction Faculty Grant
• Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, University of Georgia
• University of Georgia Teaching Academy
• University of Georgia Senior Teaching Fellow
• University of Georgia Student Government Association Outstanding Teaching
• Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, University of Georgia
• School of Public and International Affairs Excellence in Teaching Award
• Pi Sigma Alpha Award for Graduate Teaching, University of Tennessee
• University of Tennessee Professional Development Award
• Jefferson Prize for Outstanding Scholarship. University of Tennessee
• University of Tennessee Scholarly Activities Research Incentive Award
• University of Oregon Doctoral Research Fellowship

External Grants and Awards: (awarded: $1,343,621. Delivered to date: $467,396)

• The Battle for Hearts and Minds: An Empirical Framework to Identify the Influence of Information Operations. $1,049,644. Department of Defense 2023-2028
• “Nonproliferation Strategy to Practice: Assessing the State of Global Trade Control Implementation.” $95,977 Stanton Foundation. (Co-PI). 2020
• Stanton Foundation Course Development Grant. (Co-PI) $49,953. 2020.
• Chancellor’s Learning Scholars (CLS) Program, Board of Regents, University System of Georgia. $6,000 (Administered through Center for Teaching and Learning). 2019
• “U.S. Cyber Deterrence, Stuxnet, and the 2016 Presidential Election” Affordable Learning Georgia, University System of Georgia (Co-PI). $25,000. 2018
• “Risk Disposition and Multi-domain Strategic Stability: An empirical examination.” (multiple PI w/Zachary Zwald).  Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction. Department of Defense. $160,000. 2018
• Risk Disposition and Deterrence Effectiveness: An Examination of Psychological Determinants. (w/Zachary Zwald). Hobby Center for Public Policy $7,000. 2016

Undergraduate:

• Foreign Policy Decision Making

• Global Simulation

• International Political Economy

• Introduction to International Relations

• Introduction to Political Psychology

• Special Topics International Relations

• Ancient and Medieval Political Theory

• Environmental Politics

• Introduction to Global Politics

• Freshman Odyssey Seminar

• Simulating International Politics

Graduate:

• Military Deterrence Policy

• International Political Economy

• International Environmental Politics

• International Relations Ph.D. pre-seminar

• International Relations MIP core seminar

• International Cooperation

• Foreign Policy Decision Making

My research utilizes insights from cognitive psychology and neuroscience to explain foreign policy. Currently, I am using this approach to understand military deterrence in the conventional, nuclear, and cyber domains. The research is funded by the Department of Defense, with the goal of improving deterrence policies and thereby reduce the prospect of military conflict.

External Grants (awarded: $1,343,621. Delivered to date: $467,396)

“The Battle for Hearts and Minds: An Empirical Framework to Identify the Influence of Information Operations.” $1,049,644. Department of Defense 2023-2028

“Nonproliferation Strategy to Practice: Assessing the State of Global Trade Control Implementation.” $95,977 Stanton Foundation. (Co-PI). 2020.

Stanton Foundation Course Development Grant. (Co-PI) $49,953. 2020.

Chancellor’s Learning Scholars (CLS) Program, Board of Regents, University System of Georgia. $6,000 (Administered through Center for Teaching and Learning). 2019.

“U.S. Cyber Deterrence, Stuxnet, and the 2016 Presidential Election” Affordable Learning Georgia, University System of Georgia (Co-PI). $25,000. 2018.

“Risk Disposition and Multi-domain Strategic Stability: An empirical examination.” (multiple PI w/Zachary Zwald). Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction. Department of Defense. $160,000. 2018.

Risk Disposition and Deterrence Effectiveness: An Examination of Psychological Determinants. (w/Zachary Zwald). Hobby Center for Public Policy $7,000. 2016.

RESEARCH

Books:

International Relations under Risk: Framing State Choice. 2004. SUNY Press.

(Reprinted in Korean, 2010)

Peer-Reviewed Articles and Chapters:

“Deserving Special Treatment? The Effect of Psychological Entitlement on Support for International Law” (w/Florian Justwan and Shawn Mazdeyasnan). Foreign Policy Analysis. Forthcoming.

“Does Military Experience Really Matter? An empirical examination of decision framing and deterrence decision making.” (w/Zachary Zwald) 2024. Journal of Global Security Studies. 9(3)

“Conditional assistance: Entrapment concerns and individual-level support for us alliance partners” (w/Florian Justwan) 2023. Journal of Global Security Studies, 8(3).

“Defense treaties increase domestic support for military action and casualty tolerance: Evidence from survey experiments in the United States. “(w/Florian Justwan) 2022. Contemporary Security Policy, 43(2).

“Challenges to Creative Thinking: Identifying Officer Background Beliefs in Limited Information Environments” (w/Zachary Zwald, Samantha Jane Daly, and Jeffrey Hannon) Joint Force Quarterly. 2022, 104(1).

“Is There a Public–Military Gap in the United States? Evaluating Foundational Foreign Policy Beliefs.” Armed Forces & Society (w/Zachary Zwald). 2021 (April)

“Analyzing Mass Attitudes Toward the International Court of Justice” (w/ Florian Justwan, Sarah K. Fisher) Foreign Policy Analysis, 2021. 17(2).

“Why Language Matters: Shaping Public Risk Tolerance During Deterrence Crises” (w/Zachary Zwald). 2020. Contemporary Security Policy. 41(4): 507-540. *Winner 2021 Bernard Brodie Prize for best article in security policy. https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/journal-prize-pgas-fcsp-prize/

“Referenda as commitment devices–an experimental approach.” 2020. (w/Florian Justwan, Sarah Fisher, Ashley Kerr). Research & Politics, 7(3)

“The Credibility of Cyber Deterrence Commitments: The Role and Nature of Public Support for Retaliation” (w/Samuel Wallace Marcotte). 2020. The Cyber Deterrence Problem, Aaron F. Brantly (ed). Rowman and Littlefield.

“Testing A Cognitive Theory of Deterrence” (w/Florian Justwan). In Behavioral Economics and Nuclear Weapons, A. Harrington and J.  Knopf . University of Georgia Press. 2019

“Measuring Social Trust and Trusting the Measure” (w/Florian Justwan & Ryan Bakker). 2018. The Social Science Journal.  55(2):149-159.

“David vs. Goliath: Risk and Weaker-state Confrontation” Foreign Policy Analysis. 2018. 14(3):326-345.

“Prospect Theory in International Relations.”  Oxford Bibliographies in International Relations. New York: Oxford University Press, (Feb. 2016). DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780199743292-0163

“Loss Aversion and Foreign Policy Resolve” (w/Bryan Early). 2013. Political Psychology. 34(5):649-671.

“Disaggregating Noncompliance: Abstention versus Predation in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime” (w/Matt Fuhrmann). 2012. Journal of Conflict Resolution. 56(3):355-381.

“Deploying Sanctions while Protecting Human Rights” (w/ Ella Shagabutdinova). 2007. Journal of Human Rights. 6(1):59-74.

“Model Building with Prospect Theory: A Cognitive Approach to International Relations Theory.” 2002. Political Psychology. 23(4):759-786

“Behavioral Decision Theory and the Gains Debate in International Politics” (with Matthew Mulford). 2002. Political Studies. 50(2):209-229.

“A Cognitive Theory of Deterrence” Journal of Peace Research. 2002. 39(2):165-183.

“Reflexive Action in International Politics” (w/ John Dryzek). 2000. British Journal of Political Science. 30(2):193-216. [Reprinted in Peace, Prosperity and Policy on the Korean Peninsula: The Limits of Coercive Diplomacy in the Korean Peninsula. In-Duk Kang, Ed. Institute for East Asian Studies (Seoul, Korea). 2005.]

“The Gains Debate: Framing State Choice” American Political Science Review. 1997. 91(4): 789-805.

“Reconstructive Democratic Theory” (w/ John Dryzek). 1993. American Political Science Review. 87(1):48-60.

“Revolutionary Collective Action and the Agent-Structure Problem.” 1992. American Political Science Review. 86(3):647-657. [Reprinted in Revolutions: Critical Concepts in Political Science, ed. Rosemary O’Kane. Routledge: London. 2000.]

Department of Defense Research Briefings:

Written Reports

“Risk Disposition and Multi-Domain Strategic Stability” (with Zach Zwald). Delivered to Defense Threat Reduction Agency, U.S. Department of Defense. 2019.

“Cognitive Expectations and the Prospects for Intra-War Deterrence” Delivered to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Global and Strategic Affairs, 2010

“When is a Cyber Attack and Act of War” (w/James Lewis & David Luban). Delivered to the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Global and Strategic Affairs, 2010

In-person Presentations

“Deterrence and Risk.” (w/Zach Zwald). Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Sponsored by Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy. Washington DC. 2018.

“Risk and Deterrence Stability” (w/Zach Zwald)
• Executive Office of the President: Nuclear and Strategic Policy. Washington, DC. 2018.
• Office of Secretary of Defense: Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy. Washington, DC. 2018.
• J5 Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Washington, DC. 2018.

“Risk Disposition and Deterrence of Decision-Making: An Empirical Examination” (w/Zach Zwald). Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Jointly sponsored by the Center for Global Security Research and the Office of Defense Coordination. Livermore, Ca. 2018.

“Causal Drivers of Risk Taking in Deterrence Decision Making.” (w/Zach Zwald). National Defense University. Sponsored by Office of Nuclear and Defense Policy, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Washington, DC. 2018.

“Risk and Deterrence Behavior: preliminary data.”
• Strategic Deterrence & Nuclear Policy Division Joint Staff J5. Washington DC. October 2017.
• Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy. Washington, DC. October 2017

“Prospect Theory Concepts and Deterrence Planning” Strategic Deterrence & Nuclear Policy Division Joint Staff J5. Washington DC. Dec. 2016.

“Experimental Results on Risk and Deterrence Stability” Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Missile Defense Policy. Washington, DC. Dec. 2016

Additional Publications:
“Educating the Public for the Nuclear Reality: Understanding Likely Behaviors in the Aftermath of a Nuclear Detonation. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 2023. 38(S1), s133-s133. (w/ Morgan Taylor, Stephanie Andino, Zachary Zwald)”

“The Political Psychology of Israeli Prime Ministers” Book Review Political Science Quarterly vol. 130 No. 4. 2015.

“The Exclusive Economic Zone: the need for aquatic veterinary involvement in Japanese/Alaskan fisheries and international relations.” Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association Vol.6 No.1 2012.

“Cognitive Deterrence” in Peace and Prosperity Policy: The Limits of Coercive Diplomacy in the Korean Peninsula” ed. In-Duk Kang. Institute for East Asian Studies: Seoul, Korea 2005

“Hierarchy Amidst Anarchy: Transaction Costs and Institutional Choice.” Book Review. American Political Science Review. Vol. 96. No 2. 2002.

“Risk-taking in international politics: Prospect theory in American Foreign Policy.” Book Review. Journal of Politics. Vo1.61. No 4. 1999.

“Governors and Environmental Policy: A Comparative Approach” in Gubernatorial
Leadership and State Policy. (with Jerry Medler). Eric Herzik and Brent Brown eds.
(New York: Greenwood Press) 1991. pp.141-158