Richard Kevin Betts (born August 15, 1947) is an American

political scientist Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...

and

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

scholar who centers on U.S. foreign policy. He is currently the Arnold Saltzman Professor of War and Peace Studies in the Department of Political Science, the director of the International Security Policy Program in the

School of International and Public Affairs The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (SIPA) is the international affairs and public policy school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and former director of the

Institute of War and Peace Studies The Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies (SIWPS) is a research center that is part of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in New York. It was founded in 1951 by President of Columbia Dwight D. Eisen ...

Early life and education

Betts was born and raised in Eaton, Pennsylvania graduating from Newton High School in 1965. He went on to attend and graduate from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

earning a bachelor's, master's, and eventually doctorate in government in 1965, 1971 and 1975 respectively. His dissertation, under the direction of Samuel P. Huntington was on the role of military advice in decisions to resort to force, which later became his first book, ''Soldiers, Statesmen, and Cold War Crises''. His dissertation was awarded the Sumner Prize, for best dissertation in international relations. While a student at Harvard, Betts served as a teaching fellow from 1971 to 1975 and a lecturer for the 1975–1976 academic year. He served as a professional staff member on the

Church Committee The Church Committee (formally the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities) was a US Senate select committee in 1975 that investigated abuses by the Central Intelligence ...

. In 1976 Betts joined the Brookings Institution where he served as a research associate and later in 1981 a senior fellow until 1990. While at Brookings, Betts was a professional lecture at Johns Hopkins University's

Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., United States, with campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China. It is consistently ranked one of th ...

, Harvard, and

. Additionally, he was a staff member on the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...

in 1977 and on the foreign policy staff of

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...

presidential campaign in 1984.

Later career

In 1990, Betts joined the faculty at Columbia University. There, he led the international security policy program at the

, became the director of the

. A staple of the faculty, Betts taught the introductory course ''war, peace, and strategy'' for over 25 years, a requirement for all international relations students at the university. In 1996, Betts joined the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

as the Director of National Security Studies. He served in the role until 2000, when he transitioned into an adjunct senior fellow role, which he currently retains. Betts has been an occasional consultant to the

National Intelligence Council The National Intelligence Council (NIC), established in 1979 and reporting to the Director of National Intelligence, bridges the United States Intelligence Community (IC) with policy makers in the United States. The NIC produces the "Global Tren ...

and

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

. His writings have earned five prizes, including the Woodrow Wilson Award of the

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...

for the best book in political science.As coauthor of ''The Irony of Vietnam'' (1979)

Books

Sole Author

* ''Soldiers, Statesmen, and Cold War Crises'' (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1977) * ''Surprise Attack: Lessons for Defense Planning'' (Washington, DC:Brookings Institution, 1982) * ''Nuclear Blackmail and Nuclear Balance'' (Washington, DC:Brookings Institution, 1987) * ''Military Readiness: Concepts, Choices, Consequences'' (Washington, DC:Brookings Institution, 1995) * ''Enemies of Intelligence: Knowledge and Power in National Security'' (New York: Columbia University Press, 2007) * ''American Force: Dangers, Delusions, and Dilemmas in National Security" (New York: Columbia University Press, 2012)

Co-Author & Edited

* (With Leslie H. Gelb), The Irony of Vietnam: The System Worked (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1979), * (With Joseph Yager ditorand others), Nonproliferation and U.S. Foreign Policy (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1980), (six chapters by Betts). * (Editor and contributor), Cruise Missiles: Technology, Strategy, Politics (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1981), * (Editor and contributor) Conflict After the Cold War: Arguments on Causes of War and Peace (New York: Allyn & Bacon, 1994), * (Co-editor with Thomas Mahnken, and contributor) Paradoxes of Strategic Intelligence: Essays in Honor of Michael I. Handel (London: Frank Cass, 2003)

Articles

* "The Soft Underbelly of American Primacy: Tactical Advantages of Terror," in Political Science Quarterly (Spring 2002), reprinted on September 11, Terrorist Attacks, and U.S. Foreign Policy, edited by Demetrios James Caraley (Academy of Political Science 2002).

References

External links

Faculty bio at Columbia UniversityA Scholar in Full: A Conference in Honor of Richard K. Betts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betts, Richard K. American political scientists International relations scholars Columbia University faculty Columbia School of International and Public Affairs faculty Harvard College alumni Living people 1947 births Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Political realists