The negotiation process and the resolution of international conflicts

P. Terrence Hopmann predicts that as the post-cold-war era progresses, diplomacy will increasingly replace military action as a means for resolving international disputes in all but the most desperate situations. Indeed, he foresees an era dominated by many smaller conflicts of interest and identity, both within and between states, as superseding the age of the global standoff between nuclear superpowers.

Hopmann contends that the avoidance of violence in these situations, and the resolution of underlying conflicts, will increasingly give center stage to negotiation - the primary activity of diplomacy. In this comprehensive appraisal of the negotiation process, Hopmann synthesizes the vast body of literature on the subject and constructs a framework for analyzing the many dimensions of international negotiations.