Winning the War and the Relationships: Preparing Military Officers for Negotiations With Non-Combatants
Abstract
Current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan involving counterinsurgency, peace-keeping, stability and support missions and nation building have increased interest in cross-cultural negotiation skills as a central component of military leadership. This report develops a conceptual framework capturing the unique characteristics of negotiations between military personnel and local civilians that can guide the design of negotiation training programs for officers preparing to deploy. Interviews were conducted with 20 Lieutenants and 16 Captains who returned from deployments to Iraq. Content analysis indicated that negotiations with civilians focused largely on rebuilding projects, security, and civil affairs issues. Key challenges reported by officers included 1) the need to negotiate and mediate in the face of sectarian loyalties, 2) ethical dilemmas, 3) the development of work arrangements in the face of conflicting cultural values and behavioral norms, 4) negotiating in the face of threat and determining the appropriate use of power, 5) emotional self-regulation, and 6) adaptive response to a wide range of conflicting responsibilities. Iraqi negotiation techniques appeared consistent with non-Western cultural expectations of the goals and tactics of negotiation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA472089
Entities
People
- Brian Wortinger
- Orly Nobel
- Sean Hannah
Organizations
- United States Military Academy