International Negotiations

Combines three main elements - a comprehensive overview of all the main theoretical approaches toward the process of international negotiations; a set of case-studies; and a section offering a communication-oriented approach toward the issue of how domestic politics affect the process of international negotiations. International Negotiations combines three main elements: an overview of theoretical perspectives on the process of international negotiations; a set of case studies; and a new approach toward the issue of how domestic politics affect the process of isuch kind of talks. One of the most important sets of variables affecting the outcome of international negotiations is the domestic political situation. Often talks fail or succeed mainly due to pressure from domestic groups. Nikolaev offers a new - communication-oriented - model of the two-level-game theory, which is highly effective in conceptualizing the problem of domestic influence over international negotiations. The case studies demonstrate how various theoretical approaches contribute to a deeper understanding of the the outcomes of different international talks and how vital the new model of the two-level-game theory is to this understanding.

Negotiation is the "great unknown" of human communication. When a baby demands or refuses food, when an international peace conference decides on the future of peoples and nations, everybody interacts with everybody. Power and balance, methods and styles, often dictated by the negotiator's cultural background, influence the outcome. The aim is cooperation, based on common interests. The way to get there quite often starts with confrontation and includes the competition of ideas and proposals. The author, an experienced diplomat who supports his theories with innumerable and often amusing anecdotes, shows politicians, business people and students how to do it - and improve their skills.