 Lecturer
Ronnie Olesker
Ronnie Olesker is Lecturer of Political Science at Tufts University. She teaches courses on Comparative Politics in the Middle East, Israeli Studies, Terrorism and human rights. Her Dissertation titled: "The Value of Security vs. The Security of Values: The Relationship Between the Rights of the Minority and the Security of the Majority in Israel," explores the connections between law and politics. She examined how nations such as Israel employ their legal system as part of their security doctrine, applying prospect theory (decision making under risk), to explain the implications of the rise in the legal discrimination of the Palestinian minority in Israel since the eruption of Al- Aqsa intifada in 2000 on their decision to use political violence against the state. The research carefully surveys the various legal measures adopted by the Israeli government to combat the perceived threat posed by the Palestinian minority and the counter-productive consequences of those measures for the overall security objectives of the state.
Dr. Olesker is currently working on expanding her dissertation research to a comparative study of the relationship between the treatment of minorities and political violence in the cases of Estonia and Thailand, as compared with the Israeli case study. She plans to expand this research into a book in the future. Most recently she completed an article which examines the relationship between Israel’s security doctrine and its treatment of minorities.
Prof. Olesker holds a Law Degree (LL.B) with specialization in International Law form the College of Management in Israel. She served in Israeli intelligence and worked for the district attorney’s office in Tel Aviv. She earned her Masters in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) and doctorate from the Fletcher school at Tufts University. She was nominated for Instructor of Best Course by Sophomore Experience Survey and Instructor of an exceptional College Course Graduate Survey in 2006.
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