---
title: "Jervis: Political Scientist and Theorist | Model Diplomat"
description: "Robert Jervis was a pivotal political scientist whose insights on perception and misperception shaped defensive realism in international relations theory."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/jervis"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Robert Jervis (1940–2021) was an American political scientist whose work on perception, misperception, and the security dilemma shaped defensive realism in international relations theory.
- What is Jervis's chief contribution to the security dilemma?
- How does Jervis's work relate to defensive realism?
- What is the central thesis of Perception and Misperception (1976)?
- Why is Jervis relevant to nuclear strategy?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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In 1976 Robert Jervis published \*Perception and Misperception in International Politics\*, using the July 1914 crisis to show how European leaders' cognitive biases turned a Balkan dispute into general war.

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