International Negotiations: Theory, Practice and the Connection with Domestic Politics

(Paperback)

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International Negotiations combines three main elements: an overview of theoretical perspectives on the process of international negotiations; a set of case studies; and a new approach toward the issue of how domestic politics affect the process of isuch kind of talks. One of the most important sets of variables affecting the outcome of international negotiations is the domestic political situation. Often talks fail or succeed mainly due to pressure from domestic groups. Nikolaev offers a new - communication-oriented - model of the two-level-game theory, which is highly effective in conceptualizing the problem of domestic influence over international negotiations. The case studies demonstrate how various theoretical approaches contribute to a deeper understanding of the the outcomes of different international talks and how vital the new model of the two-level-game theory is to this understanding.

Reviews

This book provides a broad lens for viewing the intricate dynamics of international negotiation. By knitting together theories of domestic politics with culture and communication, Alexander Nikolaev links the structural perspectives of IR with the process emphasis of communication studies. His rendition of the two-level game extends the idea to take account of information exchange processes. This is a valuable theoretical contribution. But the author goes further: He demonstrates its applicability through analyses of several complex historical and recent cases. A lesson learned from these analyses is that all the approaches are useful but the way they are combined in analysis differs from one case to another. Both theorists and practitioners will benefit from this book. -- Daniel Druckman, University of Queensland and George Mason University

Author Bio

Alexander G. Nikolaev, PhD, is associate professor in the Department of Culture and Communication at Drexel University.