Arbitration & Mediation

Robert Benjamin's Of War and Negotiation #2

By Geoff Sharp

"... war and negotiation are not polar opposites, as they are so frequently presented. They inform each other as modes of conflict management and the best warriors must be effective negotiators and the best negotiators must study warfare strategies and techniques"

Here for Of War and Negotiation #1

But not everyone is convinced of Benjamin's recurring battle cry that now runs through his writings - "He is a very likeable guy, so I dove into [Obama: Reflections of a Hard Core Negotiator] with enthusiasm. That enthusiasm waned the farther in I got, however. In particular, I found myself increasingly disappointed by his weary-sounding observations as a ?seasoned? and ?guerrilla? negotiator"

"... I come from the ?guerrilla? style of negotiation practice. Not unprincipled, but more realistic about how people deal with conflict and make decisions - not nearly as rational as we would like to think. They are entitled to be approached as they are and not forced to fit into some idealized notion of how we would like for them to be. I am an aficionado of the old fashioned cutting of a ?grubby deal? that will work - the adequate and good - as opposed to the perfect and ?elegant solution"

Full post as published by mediator blah...blah... on January 22, 2008 (boomark / email).