Amichai Magen

Amichai Magen

Amichai Magen

  • Director, Jan Koum Israel Studies Program, CDDRL
  • Visiting Fellow in Israel Studies, FSI (2022-2025)
  • W. Glenn Campbell National Fellow, Hoover Institution (2008-2009)
  • CDDRL Affiliated Scholar, 2008-2009
  • CDDRL Predoctoral Fellow, 2004-2008

Biography

Amichai Magen is the founding director of the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. Previously, he served as the visiting fellow in Israel Studies at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, head of the MA Program in Diplomacy & Conflict Studies, and director of the Program on Democratic Resilience and Development (PDRD) at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. His research and teaching interests address democracy, the rule of law, liberal orders, risk and political violence, as well as Israeli politics and policy.

Magen received the Yitzhak Rabin Fulbright Award (2003), served as a pre-doctoral fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, and was the W. Glenn Campbell National Fellow at the Hoover Institution (2008-9). In 2016, he was named a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy, an award that recognizes outstanding thought leaders around the world. Between 2018 and 2022, he served as principal investigator in two European Union Horizon 2020 research consortia, EU-LISTCO and RECONNECT. Amichai Magen served on the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and is a Board Member of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR) and the International Coalition for Democratic Renewal (ICDR).

publications

Journal Articles
January 2025

The Second “Mahapach” Is Already Here

Author(s)
The Second “Mahapach” Is Already Here
Journal Articles
May 2024

U.S. Democratic Backsliding and the Decline of Democratic Support Abroad

Author(s)
U.S. Democratic Backsliding and the Decline of Democratic Support Abroad
Journal Articles
September 2023

Israel’s Summer of Discontent

Author(s)
Israel’s Summer of Discontent

In The News

Alon Tal and Amichai Magen
News

Israel's Much Anticipated 2026 Elections: A Guide to the Perplexed

Alon Tal, a former member of the Knesset, discusses Israeli democracy and the upcoming elections with Amichai Magen, Director of the Jan Koum Israel Studies Program at CDDRL.
Israel's Much Anticipated 2026 Elections: A Guide to the Perplexed
book cover
News

"Explaining Israel" Book Launch — Peter Berkowitz on the Jewish State, the Middle East, and America

The Hoover Institution and the Israel Studies Program at CDDRL hosted a launch event for Berkowitz's new book, "Explaining Israel: The Jewish State, the Middle East, and America," on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. PT.
"Explaining Israel" Book Launch — Peter Berkowitz on the Jewish State, the Middle East, and America
Vivian Bercovi webinar screenshot
News

Canada-Israel Relations and the Future of Israeli Politics

Vivian Bercovici, former Canadian Ambassador to Israel, reflects on diplomacy, the “leave no one behind” ethos, and Israel’s political crossroads.
Canada-Israel Relations and the Future of Israeli Politics