Transformations and Critical Moments in Negotiations

Transformation is not a new concept in the conflict literature. It forms the foundation for a particular school of thought in mediation and plays a major role in the analysis of international conflicts. More-over, it shapes the goals and processes for managing public conflicts through dialogue and democracy. Although transformation surfaces in a variety of conflict management arenas, this concept has received only a modicum of attention in the negotiation literature. This article centers on the definition and features of critical moments in negotiation that might foster conflict transformation. It draws from the literature on conflict transformation and applies this work to negotiations. First, the author explores the definitions, characteristics, and types of shifts that set up transformations. Then she examines internal and external factors that contribute to transformative moments. Finally, the essay concludes with a discussion of distinctions between transformation and related constructs, suggestions for conducting research, and implications of this work for negotiation research.     

Critical Moments as Relational Moments: The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Conflict in Aceh, Indonesia

Comments about the role of the mediator made by Lakhdar Brahimi, United Nations Special Envoy to Afghanistan, frame this inquiry into the relational milieu favorable to dialogue that explores a series of facilitated discussions between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Republic of Indonesia convened by the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC). Participants were interviewed as part of an oral history project investigating critical moments in negotiation. This method permitted an in-depth study of a dialogue process as it was understood by the parties themselves, and highlighted the distinctive perspectives practitioners bring to bear with respect to accounting for decisive shifts in negotiation. Critical moments, for this dialogue community, included both macrolevel turning points and microlevel relational exchanges. Attention to the microprocess of exchanges deemed critical by participants suggests the crucial roles played by the practitioners' attitudes and relational dispositions.     

Veneers and Underlayments: Critical Moments and Situational Redefinition

Surface agreements about the social definition of a situation, or what Erving Goffman calls veneers of consensus, are necessary for social interaction to be coherent. But why and when do social definitions change? In this article the author examines critical moments as points at which change may potentially take place. The author suggests that change is possible when a breach has occurred — an event, action, statement which is inconsistent with the current social definition. However, change depends on whether individuals ignore the breach, oppose it, or legitimize it. The author introduces the notion of an underlayment: the attitudes, that is, the beliefs, knowledge, preferences, and normative commitments individuals have about a particular social situation. He argues that whether a particular veneer of consensus will change in the face of a breach is determined, in part, by the underlayment that supports that veneer.     

Responding to Critical Moments with Humor, Recognition, and Hope

Having "a sense of humor" when negotiations get tough has very little to do with being funny. Enacting rather than claiming, performing rather than arguing, mediators' humor reveals multiple meanings and uncertainties, multiple perspectives and their limits, and parties' needs while generating opportunities to learn. Humor can go wrong, and mediators stress a sine qua non: it must be respectful, never used at the expense of a negotiating party. At critical moments in negotiations, humor can be an important tool, if improvised with regard to tone, timing, affect, and respect. Mediators use humor to deconstruct and reconstruct parties' presumptions of mediators' authority; to recognize vulnerability, create moments of intimacy, and suggest possible community; to acknowledge painful histories and enable difficult conversations; to provide safety, release, and new collaborative openings. Mediators' use of humor can signal possibility and hope and, not least of all, level power to encourage autonomy and build capacity — thus creating deliberative space and encouraging deliberative practice as well.     

The Present Moment as a Critical Moment

Like a musical interlude, the present moment hovers between becoming the past and progressing into the future. Critical moments, for the author, are moments in which the parties are fully in the present or the "now," caught in a pivotal space where any action, or even inaction, will change the destiny of the situation and the actors themselves. It is a transformative journey, taken together, that starts with moment of suspense, and traverses a landscape of emotion and intention where a world of change becomes possible.     

有关巴西政治转型进程的几个问题

1970年代中期巴西军政府主动推行政治开放的原因是,在消除左派威胁并经历一段非常时期后,恢复民主制一直是巴西威权主义联盟内部一些成员、特别是军队内部的温和派的政治要求。此外,其他原因还有军政府在体制和理念上与此前的民主制仍具有一定的连续性;军政府合法性的下降和实现民主的代价减轻。1985年大选中反对派的获胜是执政党、反叶派和军人三方力量对比和策略变化的结果。1974～1985年巴西的政治转型属于“通过交易的转型”。一方面,它不仅是“自上而下的解放”,而且军政府控制着转型的过程。另一方面,反对派接受军政府对于政治转型过程的控制。巴西政治转型的这种独特的方式带来了积极的效果,但同时也有其局限性。     

Anxious Moments: Openings in Negotiation

Even experienced negotiators often feel anxiety about beginning a new negotiation. Subjects in this study described these opening moments with vivid imagery and metaphors, among them: lurking wolves, alligators, tightropes, and rushing trains. People's deep-seated worries can be triggered by several factors: doubts about personal competence, fear about the attitudes and behavior of other parties, and the inevitable uncertainty about what path negotiation will take. The author compares openings in other contexts, notably in the arts, to illustrate how the impact of anxiety need not be entirely negative. These feelings can also spark creativity and support constructive relationships.     

"9·11"以来的国际变局

“9·11事件”是冷战结束后最具标志性的事件。值此“9·11”五周年之际,《现代国际关系》编辑部举办了“‘9·11’以来国际形势变化与中国外交”专题研讨会,邀请在京二十余位国际问题专家就五年来的国际形势变化、反恐形势、当前国际体系中的深层矛盾、大国关系的调整、国际格局的演变趋势、美国反恐的得与失、美国国际地位及实力的升与降、中国国际地位与国际战略等问题进行了深入分析和探讨。现将与会专家学者的主要观点辑录刊发,以期对读者把握国际战略形势及理解中国对外战略有所裨益。     

蒙古与大国关系的变化

近年来,蒙古与大国的关系日趋活跃。在蒙古与大国的关系中,美、日对蒙关系热络、俄蒙关系修复、中蒙经济关系加强是最受关注的动向。蒙与大国关系发生变化的原因在于:国际形势的剧变;大国重塑亚太安全结构的战略需要;蒙古地理位置的重要和蒙古自身改革的需要。这种变化的影响及于东北亚安全机制的塑造,乃至中国国家安全环境。     

俄罗斯联邦制的变革与面临的挑战

鉴于苏联解体的教训和俄联邦制面临解体的威胁,独立后的俄罗斯对如何加强联邦制极为重视.继叶利钦政权对现行体制的修补之后,又有普京总统的强化革新.但俄联邦制未来仍面临着诸多挑战.     

The Great Financial Crisis Catalyzes Great Transformations and Adjustments

Under the shadow of the financial crisis, the year 2009 presented numerous signs that the world is polarizing in terms of power balances, strategic readjustments by the world powers, and relations between these world powers. Meanwhile, despite intense competition, new advances may be perceived in the peaceful and incremental evolution of the international system, in terms of mechanisms, concepts and the realignment of forces. The transformation of the world order and the acceleration of a systematic evolution will inevitably result in power vacuums and disorder. Together with the growing negative effects of the financial crisis, this will further complicate the international security situation. As an emerging center for this great transformation, Asia serves as a symbol of turbulence, realignment and uncertainty in the areas of international strategy and security. Interaction between China and the rest of the world is taking place across all sectors, at all levels, and with growing intensity, all amid great risks.     

论“日美防卫合作新指针”及相关法案的出台

“日美防卫合作新指针”及相关法案是在美日战略的转移、“中华威胁论”、右翼战争翻案逆流高涨等背景下出台的。“日美防卫合作新指针”及相关法案有悖于日本和平宪法 ,是使日本宪法空洞化的“战争法”,带来的后果不可低估     

Multinational Enterprises as "Moral Entrepreneurs" in a Global Prohibition Regime Against Corruption

This article explores the incentives and means multinational enterprises (MNEs) may have to create a corruption-free business environment. It draws on Ethan Nadelmann's (1990) article in International Organization , "Global Prohibition Regimes: The Evolution of Norms in International Society" and discerns the emergence of such a regime centered on bribe paying and bribe soliciting.