The Latest Updates from David B. Morse
Negotiation includes a ‘chicken or the egg’ dilemma similar to the geodynamo at the heart of our planet. As magnetic and electric fields are intertwined, we teach preparation precedes and accompanies engagement. But only encounters deliver results. Is one possible without the other, and where do they start?
The Expanse is a science fiction series set several hundred years in the future. Man has spread throughout the solar system and taken first steps to other worlds but has brought Earth’s very human conflicts with them. Even imaginary negotiations offer situations worth analyzing, providing entertaining lessons for the practicing negotiator.
In 2015, seven countries signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), expecting to constrain Iran’s nuclear weapon program. With the U.S. Congress neither ratifying nor disapproving the plan, U.N. Security Council resolution 2231 implemented the agreement. In 2018, a new U.S. administration unilaterally withdrew. In 2021, yet another new administration signaled re-engagement. What should be the path forward?
Our roots for negotiation extend far deeper and farther back than we often recognize. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by historian Yuval Noah Harari (Vintage, 2015) presents all human beings' collectively exceptional skills. These skills make us innately proficient at extraordinary communication, such as negotiation.
Culture in negotiation is more than the familiar interpretation of national entities. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by psychologist Jonathan Haidt (reprint edition, 2013) provides the attuned negotiator an additional, and indeed required, dimension for understanding behavior.
