To understand what Coercive and Nuclear Negotiations are I discuss with Professor Eugene B. Kogan, a researcher and an expert in the power dynamics of negotiation. This is also the core of his fast-paced and interactive pro-seminar offering an in-depth introduction to the principles and dynamics of coercive and nuclear negotiations around the world with a focus on a few conflicts for reference.

The world is now overwhelmed with a few ongoing negotiation processes over conflicts with multiple actors in the global north and south countries. Although the list of these conflicts might be probably endless depending on how each conflict is reported and to who it affects, different data sources and conflict analysis have put together some for our benefit and focused discernment.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported last February 2022 that Ethiopia, Yemen, The Sahel, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Sudan, Haiti, Colombia, and Myanmar would be the 10 conflicts to watch this year (ACLED, 2022).

While the International Crises Group went further to pinpoint Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, Afghanistan, Iran Versus the US and Israel, Ethiopia, Yemen, Islamist Militants in Africa, and Ethiopia as the most concerning 10 conflicts to watch in 2022 (International Crisis Group, 2021).

But the Center for Preventive Action under the Council on Foreign Affairs provide another set of survey results of their version of the conflicts to watch this year which included Afghanistan, Haiti, Lebanon, Venezuela, China Taiwan, Iran, Israel, Mexico, North Korea, Ukraine, and Russia and added a Cyberattack on US critical infrastructure (Stares, 2022)

Eugene Kogan, is a professor of conflict resolution at Harvard, Brandeis, and other Universities. He is also a Co-Author of the book Mediation: Negotiation by other moves. In addition, he has also been engaged in delivering an analytical message and strategies a contribute to sustainable negotiation processes.

Episode cover Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash

Here are the readings we recommend:

Walsh, C. (2022, March 18). Finding exit to war in Ukraine. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/03/finding-exit-to-war-in-ukraine/

Kogan, E. B. (2022, March 7). Without giving in, a united West needs to offer Putin a face-saving way out | Opinion. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/without-giving-united-west-needs-offer-putin-face-saving-way-out-opinion-1685551

Robert J. Art and Patrick Cronin, The United States and Coercive Diplomacy. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Institute of Peace, 2003), Introduction and Conclusion.

Alain Lempereur, Jacques Salzer, Aurelien Colson, Michele Pekar, Eugene B. Kogan, Mediation: Negotiation by Other Moves (Wiley 2021), Chapter 1.

James K. Sebenius and Eugene B. Kogan, Henry Kissinger’s Negotiation Campaign to End the Vietnam War. Harv