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To fulfill its mission a human-centered paradigm as envisioned by the World Academy of Art & Science should combine optimism with pessimism. An essential meta-value is avoiding the bad, in addition to achieving "the good". Realistic assessment of human beings is a must. An appropriately phased time horizon of 10 to 80 years should frame the paradigm. Evaluation of emerging science and technology with very dangerous potentials, such as those posed by synthesizing viruses and radical "human enhancement," followed perhaps by human cloning and deep genetic engineering, is essential. Thinking ahead realistically on alternative futures of the human species as a whole and their drivers is a must, giving due weight to dangerous propensities as well as virtues of human beings. Only a small minority of humanity and its political leaders have the understanding essential for coping with fateful choices increasingly facing humanity. Inter alia essential is the regulation of dangerous research and technologies enforced by a strict global regime headed by a duly constituted circumscribed global authority. An upgraded genre of political leaders within redesigned democracy is essential. No human-centered paradigm should ignore such requirements. All this lead to my suggestion to focus the paradigm on the most important and urgent, what Dag Hammarskjöld appropriately called "Preventing Hell on Earth". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article suggests that Israel urgently needs a radically new political-security grand-strategy. It reveals the reason necessitating the crafting of a radically novel breakout political-security-grand-strategy for Israel. It evaluates the radical shift in Israel's geo-strategic realities. It discusses fundamental political-security challenges facing Israel.

The article recommends some foundations for a grand strategy of Israel towards the European Union (EU). Key issues discussed include an exploration of the primary misperceptions and deep disagreements of Israel and the EU towards each other and some principles for an Israeli grand strategy towards the EU that will promote the interests and values of both parties.

Examines the evolutionary potential of Israel, its rise and decline, the development of policies and the opportunities and dangers posed by them through a dynamic cartography of expected environments. View of historic processes; Impact of globalization; Proximate geo-strategic environment; Global geo-political setting; Development of the topography of distance and the evolution of cyberspace.

The article presents information on policy professionalism as a vocational calling. Engaging in policy studies can have a number of existential meanings. The essence of professionalism is practice based on deep knowledge. While scientists focus on production of knowledge and technicians or artisans concentrate on practice, the professional must be conversant with both science and practice, his own specialty being the transformation of science and other types of systematic knowledge into action. The moral significance of policy professionalism stems from its urgently needed potential contributions to improving the human situation, both on a delimited and global scale.

Presents recommendations for augmenting the contributions of universities to develop efforts in ways fitting the nature of universities. Results of comparative and consultative studies that the presented proposals fit nearly all development areas; Main proposals for building up contributions by universities to development policymaking.

Examines the problem of uncertainty and its effects upon the decision making processes of top-level politicians. Analysis of the Middle East Peace Process; Exploration on the handling of uncertainty in statecraft; Assessment of the uncertainties of the peace process; Approaches that may be used to improve statecraft as prudent risk taking.

This article focuses on requirements which need to be considered by policy scientists in their profession. Policymaking involves the attempt to shape collective futures through organized interventions with historic processes. A profession having such aspirations must meet very stringent standards. A policy scientist must gain the knowledge of historic and comparative perspectives. One should study one's society in depth and take up grand-policy issues for consideration. Improvements of policymaking--at present very neglected in policy sciences--should be a main concern for striving policy scientists.

Presents challenges and opportunities for crises. Fusion between crises and opportunities demonstrated by the Bosnian crisis as of March 1993; Illustration of the dual nature of crises as opportunities and of missed opportunities as crises; Relationship between politics and policy.

Having been invited by the Club of Rome to prepare a report on "Governance for the 21st Century," colleagues are invited to help by providing ideas, suggestions, papers, etc. Despite much progress in values and institutions, many core components of governance have not significantly improved during known history. These include, for instance, rulers, bureaucracies, the essence of decision process, main features of citizen behavior and more. Such relative stability of elements of governance in the face of global transformations produces growing incapacities to govern. The costs of such incapacities are increasing by order of magnitudes, because of the multiplying power of policy instruments supplied by science and technology.

The present politics of political science being as they are, the idea of promoting the application of political science to important policy problems seems to need little justification. Application of science requires more than advocacy of predetermined positions with the help of scientific terminology. Even a majority vote by political scientists in respect to a concrete policy issue perhaps important as an exercise of the democratic rights and duties of political scientists in their capacity as enlightened citizen cannot be regarded as "application of political science to important policy problems." When speaking about the application of political science to policy problems, it is essential to consider the time dimension. Adopting a short time perspective, the main mission is to help in identification of preferable solutions to presently pressing policy problems.