Olavi Rudolf Holsti (August 7, 1933 – July 2, 2020) was aFinnish-Americanpolitical scientist andacademic. He held theposition of George V. Allen Professor Emeritus of Political Science atDuke University. He was noted for his writings oninternational affairs,American foreign policy,content analysis,decision-making in politics anddiplomacy, andcrises.
Holsti was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 7, 1933.[1][2] Holsti received hisBachelor of Artsdegree fromStanford University in 1954, hisMaster of Arts in Teaching fromWesleyan University in 1956, and hisPh.D from Stanford University in 1962.[3]
Holsti worked at Stanford University as an instructor in the Department of Political Science (1962–1965), the research coordinator and associate director of Studies in International Conflict and Integration (1962–1967) and assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, (1965–1967). He moved to theUniversity of British Columbia in 1967, working as assistant professor in the Department of Political Science (1967–1971) before becoming a professor (1971–1974).[4]
Holsti was at theUniversity of California, Davis, as a professor in the Department of Political Science (1978–1979) before joining the faculty of Duke University as George V. Allen Professor in the Department of Political Science (1974–1998). He became aprofessor emeritus in 1998.
Holsti's brotherKal is also a political scientist. Their father,Rudolf Holsti, served as Finland's foreign minister.
The "inherent bad faith model" of information processing is a theory in political psychology that was first put forth by Holsti to explain the relationship betweenJohn Foster Dulles's beliefs and model of information processing.[5] It is the most widely studied model of one's opponent.[6] A state is presumed to be implacably hostile, and contra-indicators of that are ignored and are dismissed as propaganda ploys or signs of weakness. Examples are Dulles's position on theSoviet Union andIsrael's initial position on thePalestine Liberation Organization.[7]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
 | This biography of an American political scientist is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
