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April 23, 2006
Brzezinski on Iran and the Amarna Letters
Zbigniew Brzezinski has a very adult op-ed piece in today's Los Angeles Times. I hope you will take the time to read his whole column. But I was struck by this paragraph,
Serious negotiations require not only a patient engagement but also a constructive atmosphere. Artificial deadlines, propounded most often by those who do not wish the U.S. to negotiate in earnest, are counterproductive. Name-calling and saber rattling, as well as a refusal to even consider the other side's security concerns, can be useful tactics only if the goal is to derail the negotiating process. [emphasis added]
Brzezinski's remarks are interesting in the light of these words from Mario Liverani's essay in Amarna Diplomacy, the Beginnings of International Relations (p. 18),
The family metaphor is immediately evident [in the Amarna Letters - des] in the pervasive use of the term "my brother" (ahî) to address the partner. . . . From the most trivial but socially meaningful usage, to "ask (news of) the health" (šulma ša'alu) of the partner (plus wife, children, belongings, etc.), to the most demanding negotiations for interdynastic marriages, the interpersonal level is the only one in use. No other "code" has been introduced to regulate interstate, strictly political relations.
Note that interdynastic marriages were often the catalyst used to prevent war in those days. So it was almost as pressing as the control of nuclear proliferations today. I'm not sure that the family metaphor that Liverani sees at the core of Amarna diplomacy will work without considerable translation into the modern situation but I am sure that name calling and complete failure to listen to the other sides position would not have kept the peace in the Amarna age and will not work today.
When I was deeply involve in business negotiations, the most difficult times in those negotiations were characterized by increased personal interaction and heightened efforts to understand the other side's position. At least this was true when difficult negotiations succeeded.
Reference:
Cohen, Raymond and Raymond Westbrook, eds, Amarna Diplomacy, the Beginnings of International Relations, Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2000
Posted by Duane Smith at April 23, 2006 10:15 AM | Read more on Current Events |
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