This week we have been introduced to the practical application of negotiation within applied contexts. As for myself, I was very much excited to not only learn about such practices, but also intrigued about the greater implications of linking such an applied technique to overall theory. For example, much of the literature within the field of international relations discusses concepts of cooperation and gains, however the literature appears to take such instances for granted, that is, by regarding instances of negotiation as given, as if regarding the events concluding by natural/political circumstances.
For myself, I have been very intrigued about opening up this “black box” (for lack of a better term) in order to appreciate the past instances where states and governments have been able to not only engage one another (without violence), but to negotiate agreements with far-ranging implications.
Nicholas Knowlton, USA