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International Online Training Program On Intractable Conflict |
Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, USA |
Negotiation with illegitimate representatives seldom works. Even if an agreement is reached, it will probably not be ratified (if ratification is necessary), and will not be followed because the people who were supposedly represented at the negotiating table are likely to feel that they were not adequately represented, and thus are likely to oppose and violate any agreement that is reached.
Parties involved in negotiation need to make sure that the people they are negotiating with really do represent the constituency they purport to represent. While sometimes this is obvious (if they are government officials of a dually constituted government, for example), but at other times it is not. Representation is especially problematic in the case of loosely structured and loosely defined groups that do not have any one leader or leadership structure. If the negotiators do not seem to be accepted by their constituents, it is essential to find out who does legitimately represent that group and negotiate with them. If a group has no legitimate leader, there is no point in negotiating until one can be established.
Constituent Involvement Strategies
No Legitimate Party to Negotiate With
Wrong (or Missing) Parties at the Table
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