Principled Negotiation and Mediation in the International Arena
Talking with Evil

This book argues that it can be useful for the US to negotiate with terrorists and other bad actors by engaging a pragmatic mediator.

Paul J. Zwier (Author)

9781107460188, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 30 October 2014

470 pages, 3 b/w illus. 8 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.63 kg

This book argues that it can be beneficial for the United States to talk with 'evil' - terrorists and other bad actors - if it engages a mediator who shares the United States' principles yet is pragmatic. It shows how the US can make better foreign policy decisions and demonstrate its integrity for promoting democracy and human rights, by employing a mediator who facilitates disputes between international actors by moving them along a continuum of principles, as political parties act for a country's citizens. This is the first book to integrate theories of rule of law development with conflict resolution methods, and it examines ongoing disputes in the Middle East, North Korea, South America and Africa. It draws on the author's experiences with The Carter Center and judicial and legal advocacy training to provide a sophisticated understanding of the current situation in these countries and of how a strategy of principled pragmatism will give better direction to US foreign policy abroad.

1. Language and strategy
2. Why do the kids fight about their inheritance? Middle East family feud and the language of problem solving
3. North Korea and nuclear arms: a matter of personal respect
4. How to stop the bickering before war breaks out: Bolivia, Chile, and Peru
5. First things first in Africa: Sudan and Uganda bringing the parties to the table
6. Rule of law development after the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya
7. Human rights for women in Liberia (and West Africa): integrating formal and informal rule of law reforms.

Subject Areas: Arbitration, mediation & alternative dispute resolution [LNAC5], Law [L], International relations [JPS]