Deals only work when both sides want them. Until that happens, a just and lasting peace is not possible
is a classic book on how to conduct a successful negotiation. One of its authors, Harvard professor William Ury, says that it has sold 15 million copies since its publication in 1981. It’s a foundational text for the renowned Program on Negotiation at Harvard. And if you have an MBA or an undergraduate degree in business, or took a course in negotiation, you were probably introduced to the book’s four principles for “non-adversarial bargaining.
They are: “separate people from the problem,” “focus on interests, not positions,” “invent options for mutual gain,” and “insist on using objective criteria.” Follow those rules, and – goes the theory – you can make a deal for mutual benefit. You get to “Yes.”? Israelis and Palestinians have been locked in conflict for more than a century. How come they’re not at “Yes”?
The book offers sound principles that can be used for everything from negotiating for a new job to structuring an M&A deal. But deal making, using this theory or another, only works when both parties want a deal.For example, it’s worth remembering that Canada was once rocked by an intractable racial conflict , and that the world’s longest undefended border was once highly defended and repeatedly violated. Escaping that by finding “options for mutual gain” is how Canada came to be.
Fifty years ago this month, Israel suffered the shock of a surprise attack in the Yom Kippur War. But the protagonist in that conflict, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, launched the war with peace in mind. Having redeemed his country’s pride after earlier defeats, he felt able to bid for a mutually beneficial deal – land for peace, and recognition of Israel’s right to exist.
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