International Negotiation: Cases and Lessons

This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of how nations and other international actors go about achieving their objectives through the give-and-take of the negotiation process. First, we will focus on the theory and principles of effective international negotiation, using a number of case studies 9including the Arab-Israeli conflict, UN-Iraq negotiations over inspections and the Kyoto conference on climate change) in which negotiation has been used in recent years. The course will examine the role that different mindsets and cultures play in negotiation and will also pay special attention to the importance of developing the negotiating process and attaining mutual benefit from it. Finally, we will review the effective exercise of negotiation to handle issues before they become problems and problems before they become violent conflicts.