Breakthrough International Negotiation

Breakthrough International Negotiation

Take example from international relations to optimize your own negotiating techniques.

Author(s): Michael Watkins, Susan Rosegrant

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Date of publication: 2001

Manageris opinion

Amongst all the books offering to help us to optimize our negotiation techniques, Breakthrough International Negotiation adopts an original and fascinating perspective. According to the authors, international relations are an ideal field from which to observe negotiation and conflict resolution techniques. Indeed, major diplomatic issues are highly complex, and require elaborate negotiation strategies by each player. What is more, the high media profile of these negotiations makes it possible to analyze the impact of each event on the progress of the discussions.

Michael Watkins and Susan Rosegrant make a detailed study of four particularly emblematic negotiations: the resolution of the North Korean nuclear program conflict, the Oslo accords between Israel and the PLO, the formation of a coalition around the U.S. during the Gulf War, and the end of the war in Bosnia. From these case studies, they deduce a certain number of highly relevant recommendations for any negotiator.