| ID | 120980 |
| Title Proper | Simple vs. complex learning revisited |
| Other Title Information | Israeli prime ministers and the question of a Palestinian state |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Ziv, Guy |
| Publication | 2013. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | When does a decision-maker's shift on a major policy issue represent a genuine reassessment in his or her beliefs as opposed to tactical maneuvering? This article provides a framework to improve our confidence that a policy shift represents "complex learning," which entails the adoption of new goals, rather than "simple learning," which refers to a change in means but not goals. Challenging the conventional wisdom on learning, it argues that decision makers who alter their foreign policies incrementally are more likely to have had a fundamental rethinking of their underlying assumptions on a core issue than those who exhibit sudden shifts in their foreign policy decisions absent a traumatic event. The public declarations of Israel's three most recent premiers-Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, and Benjamin Netanyahu-in support of the establishment of a Palestinian state are used to illustrate the utility of this framework. Whereas Sharon and Olmert underwent complex learning, Netanyahu's swift change appears to represent merely a tactical response to pressure from the United States. |
| `In' analytical Note | Foreign Policy Analysis Vol. 9, No.2; Apr 2013: p.203-222 |
| Journal Source | Foreign Policy Analysis Vol. 9, No.2; Apr 2013: p.203-222 |
| Key Words | Conventional Wisdom ; Palestine ; Ehud Olmert ; Benjamin Netanyahu ; Israel ; Foreign Policy ; United States |