The dynamics of negotiating

As a negotiator with more than 30 years experience, I think it’s great we are putting progressive proposals on the NAFTA negotiating table. But we can put all kinds of proposals on the table; the question is whether the other parties see these proposals as realistic and or will reject them outright, with little dialogue.

The key is to put forth proposals that have a chance of achieving. Of course, it is always worth asking, but if we ask for too many items the other parties see as unrealistic, there a chance of alienation, causing the items we thought would be easy to achieve to become hard to achieve, and resulting with us walking away with nothing in the end.

Negotiation strategy is an art; one starts with a clean canvas and the picture slowly develops between the parties. Move forward with unrealistic paint strokes and soon the other side no longer wants to paint at all.

As the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis once stated: “Simple logic dictates that if you cannot even conceive the possibility of leaving a negotiation, then it is preferable never to enter one.”

The above is the American playbook. It always easier negotiating with an ideologue as the Trump negotiators are. We are in a strong position concerning these negotiations before our negotiators even enter the room. Let’s hope it is not squandered.