Most studies of international negotiations take successful talks as their subject. With a few notable exceptions, analysts have paid little attention to negotiations ending in failure. The essays in Unfinished Business show that as much, if not more, can be learned from failed negotiations as from successful negotiations with mediocre outcomes. Failure in this study pertains to a set of negotiating sessions that were convened for the purpose of achieving an agreement but instead broke up in continued disagreement.
Seven case studies compose the first part of this volume: the United Nations negotiations on Iraq, the Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David in 2000, Iran-European Union negotiations, the Cyprus conflict, the Biological Weapons Convention, the London Conference of 1830—33 on the status of Belgium, and two hostage negotiations (Waco and the Munich Olympics). These case studies provide examples of different types of failed negotiations: bilateral, multilateral, and mediated (or trilateral). The second part of the book analyzes empirical findings from the case studies as causes of failure falling in four categories: actors, structure, strategy, and process. This is an analytical framework recommended by the Processes of International Negotiation, arguably the leading society dedicated to research in this area. The last section of Unfinished Business contains two summarizing chapters that provide broader conclusions-lessons for theory and lessons for practice.
"Presents a very innovative approach to understanding international negotiations. Combining thematic examinations of causes of failures with illustrative case studies, this book provides a structured approach to the field. It allows even those readers who are not versed in negotiation theory to grasp both basic concepts and contextual complexities in a very helpful way."
Pamela Aall
"An excellent set of essays about the resilience of countries facing stalemate in resolving their conflicts and how the negotiation process can be reinvigorated to reverse deadlock. This book provides an analytical and comparative perspective that fills a gap in the literature and provides some optimism that negotiation can be an effective tool in resolving intractable conflicts."
