INMP Scenario Introduction (Spring 2000)

INTRODUCTION TO THE SIMULATION¹

The Scenario and Issues for Negotiation
Negotiation Framework
Preparation
Communications
Getting Started
Applications

The ICONS/International Negotiation Modules Project (INMP) simulation casts students in the role of the decision makers and negotiators on matters of international importance. Working in teams, participants model real-world international relations among countries. In addition, each country will have to consider the role of critical non-state actors, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as advocates for specific positions on issues under negotiation. The simulation is conducted on two levels simultaneously: deliberations within teams to establish country positions, and negotiations across teams to seek agreement on individual issues. This means that each team must take into consideration domestic factors, both within its own and other countries, that could influence decisions that are made.

Assumptions: For purposes of this simulation, we assume that real world international conditions remains as they are articulated in the simulation scenario. That is, unless changes are specifically noted during the simulation, all government leaders currently in power remain in place and no international incidents or developments not emerging from the simulated negotiations occur. A scenario update will be issued immediately prior to the start of the simulation noting changes which should be considered. Should real world events intervene during the simulation, instructions will be issued over the simulation community network as to how these should be handled. Generally, however, real world developments will not effect the simulation once it is underway.

SIMCON (Simulation Control) monitors all negotiations in the simulation and chairs on-line summits. SIMCON is apolitical, and has no country or team preferences. SIMCON does not interfere with the course of the simulation nor direct it in any way. SIMCON does monitor all messages for content to ensure that stated positions are realistic and accurate. Further, SIMCON reviews all messages for diplomatic language, and will send warnings to any team that does not adhere to the use of such language. SIMCON sends out procedural messages and scenario updates. Questions regarding any aspect of the simulation can be sent directly to SIMCON.

The Scenario and Issues for Negotiation
The scenario for the simulation follows this introduction. The scenario outlines current world conditions and defines the areas for negotiation during the simulation.²   The scenario is presented in a case format, that is, the particular issue areas become the framework for the negotiations. Each issue area is framed as a separate case, with a focus on the particular set of questions that should be negotiated. While the scenario provides basic background information on general conditions, issues and countries, teams in the simulation are encouraged to expand beyond this basic information and the particular general questions in the preparation and research phase prior to the start of the simulation.

The focus of the simulation is global and includes individual countries and international organizations (such as the European Union). Please remember that the press is a player in this simulation as well. As in the real world, the role of the press is to report information as they view it. This means that the perspective that the press takes may not be consistent with those of country-teams. Further, the press might report information that is not accurate in the perspective of a particular country. In those cases, it will be the responsibility of the country to refute the information or to offer its own press release and interpretation of the situation or events covered. One of the lessons here is the need to review information critically, including that which is reported by the press in newspapers or other media.

The Issues: This exercise will focus on four significant problems in the world today, and how these problems are interrelated. It is not intended to cover all issues or countries. Some countries will necessarily be more active in certain areas than others and will be expected to take the lead in particular issues. However, because issues are interrelated, all countries should formulate policies and strategies for all issues included in the simulation. Each issue area will have a summit to which all teams will be invited. The agenda will be determined in advance of that event and will grow from the issues raised during the on-line negotiations prior to that point. All teams will be expected to send any opening statements on the summit agenda item(s) to all teams at least 24 hours prior to each summit.

The four issues are:

1) Global Economics, specifically, the role and future of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in light of the issues surrounding the meeting in Seattle in December;

2) Environment, dealing specifically with sustainability issues, especially the degradation of water systems and the rain forests;

3) Human Rights, with an emphasis on child labor; and

4) Security, specifically dealing with the dangers associated with the illegal transfer of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons. Inherent in this are issues of terrorism and the increased threats that come from open borders, and the ways in which nations can protect themselves from those threats.

Please note that there is a direct interrelationship among these issues. Both the environment and child labor were major issues at the WTO meeting in Seattle. Each of these issues is described in more detail in the scenario, and is the focus of an individual "case." Since these issue-areas are interrelated, the impact of those relationships should be considered in formulating team positions.

In doing the research about these issues it is also important to remember that they are complex and multi-faceted. Many of the issues have an ethical and moral component that will need to be considered in formulating each country’s or actor’s position. Furthermore, the perspective taken in the negotiations should reflect the perspective of the country or actor that you are portraying and not necessarily your own. This is one of the most difficult aspects of the simulation, but will also help you see the world from a number of different perspectives.

Negotiation Framework
Diplomacy and negotiation represent alternatives to the use of force in the settlement of potential or actual disputes between countries. International negotiation is a phased process, predicated on expectations of reciprocity, compromise, and the search for mutually beneficial outcomes. All parties to a negotiation must prepare their positions carefully, looking for a balance between national (domestic) considerations and political realities.

Simulation participants should be prepared to engage in the following stages:

Phase 1, Preparation: The preparation is the most critical part of any negotiation. Each team must prepare for the negotiation by doing research on its own position, as well as the likely position of the other groups with which you will be negotiating. Each team must set goals, that is, what do you want to achieve through the negotiation process. In the "real world," it has been estimated that 80% of negotiations succeed or fail because of the preparation that is done prior to the time that the negotiation even begins. It should also be noted that, although this is a simulation of international negotiation, learning how to prepare – identifying the problem, doing the background research, formulating a position – is central to accomplishing any task successfully.

Phase 2, Pre-Negotiation: Based on the research and identifying your own goals, each actor prepares an internal briefing paper that lays out the principles and objectives central to the issues under discussion. The paper should convey an understanding of each issue and the interrelationship among issue areas. In drafting this paper, attention must be paid to the position of NGOs and to domestic policy needs, as well as to the likely position taken by allies and potential adversaries. The briefing paper should also include the team’s desired goals, as well as a negotiating strategy to achieve those goals. In defining the negotiating strategy, it is often best for a team to know what its own bottom line is, as well as what the ideal outcome is.

Phase 3, Opening Positions: Each team’s opening message should flow from the briefing paper. Beginning on March 20, all teams present their opening or "going in" positions on-line for the benefit of other participants during the first on-line exchanges. These messages provide the basis for the start of the negotiations. All teams should remember that the opening messages set the tone for the negotiations that will follow. Once that tone has been set, it will be up to you to determine how to maintain that tone for the duration of the simulation. As you frame your opening message, it might be helpful to remember that the tougher the position you plan to take in the negotiations, the more important it is to set the right tone that will help you achieve your goals. It is also important that you remember to depersonalize and avoid framing the problem as an issue of principle that will not allow you to compromise.

Phase 4, Preparatory Negotiations: The negotiations will then proceed over a number of weeks and should be characterized by an exchange of ideas, comments and proposals. All delegations should assess their positions relative to other teams, and explore ways to form coalitions and build support for your proposals. Try to develop a common ground, that is, identify the areas that you have in common that you can build upon, rather than focusing upon the things that are different. Remember that the objective of the negotiation process is to see whether you can work cooperatively with other countries and/or NGOs in a way that will help you achieve the goals that you defined during the preparation phase.

Phase 5, On-line Summits: There will be at least one and possibly two summits associated with each of the issue areas. Each summit will be multilateral (i.e., many teams will be participating in the discussion), and will be held toward the end of the simulation after teams have had the opportunity to put forward proposals and have started to build support for their position. All teams are invited to attend each of the summits; however, we realize that not all teams will have representatives at each summit. It will be helpful to teams as they formulate their own negotiating positions to know who can and cannot be there. Therefore, to facilitate the negotiation process we do ask that you confirm your participation to all teams prior to the actual summit.

During each summit, deliberations take place on the formulation of a common position and are used to see whether teams can reach agreement on proposals. These summits represent the culmination of the negotiations.

Some Caveats: As you engage in these negotiations please remember that a simulation such as this one cannot begin to capture the full complexity of the issues, nor does it try to. Further, this exercise is structured in such a way as to limit your ability to move beyond what might be called the "pre-negotiation phase," and into the middle- or end-games associated with concluding a real negotiation. Nonetheless, as you move from the preparation stage to defining your opening statement and into the exchange of messages and then the summits, you should be better able to understand the negotiation process, and the complexity associated with concluding any negotiation – individual, business, international – successfully.

Remember that negotiations are hard work and that they take time. Further, success is not necessarily measured solely by whether you have reached agreement. Rather, it is often more important simply to know that there is a forum for ongoing discussions in place. What is critical is to know what your goals are and how the negotiation process can help you achieve those goals.

Preparation
Each class has been assigned to represent a country, an international organization, and/or an NGO during the simulation. Within the class, you will probably be organized in teams to explore the issues for negotiation. Within that team, you will then have to do the research on the actor you are assigned to represent, the specific issues highlighted in the scenario, and the likely position of the other actors you will be interacting with during the simulation. If you are representing a country, you will begin by formulating your government’s official position on the issues. You will also have to consider the position of non-state actors or interest groups operating in your country who influence or effect your country’s policies on these issues.

Similarly, if you have been assigned to represent an international organization, like the European Union, you must take into account the fact that your policies are the result of another set of internal deliberations among the member countries. However, ultimately, each of those countries is an independent actor which will make policy based on its own interest. The goals of the individual countries must be balanced against the goals of the organization as a whole.

In all cases, working as a group you will formulate policies for multilateral and bilateral negotiations. These negotiations might be government to government, NGO to NGO, NGO to government, or country to organization, depending on the country and the issue addressed. While the focus of the exercise is multilateral, participants should keep in mind that fact that bilateral dialogue is also an effective component of negotiations. The determination of when to pursue bilateral versus multilateral discussion must be part of each team’s negotiating strategy. Further, remember that the press is an actor in this simulation and can be used to help further your negotiations and goals, or to thwart progress.

As you do your research and formulate your team’s position on the issues, you will note that there is a direct relationship among them. One of the effects of a world that is growing more interrelated economically and technologically is the movement of people across borders. Another, however, is the ease of movement of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and technology across borders for economic or political reasons, an issue that has potentially global security implications. As the world becomes more interrelated economically, measures have been taken to try to increase trade for the betterment of all. Through international organizations, such as the World Trade Organization, countries have tried to arrive at a common framework to guide that trade. However, as we saw recently in Seattle, the goal of increased trade can easily be deflected when other issues, such as child labor or the environment, become factors that must be considered as part of the deliberations. Although you will be addressing each of the issues in the scenario on a case by case basis, as these examples show it will be beneficial for you to make the connections across issues as well.

Research: The key to a successful simulation is the research that each team does both prior to the start of the simulation, and on an ongoing basis once the simulation gets underway. All teams need a thorough understanding of their own actor’s policies, as well as the policies of the other countries with which they will be negotiating. Further, all teams need to understand which non-state actors are important, and how they will try to influence policy decisions. Because this is a technology-based exercise, the more you can rely on technology for your research the better. Using Internet and the World Wide Web will allow you to access primary documents from the actor that you are representing, and the official positions of the actors with which you will be negotiating. You are urged to take advantage of that capability which will enable you to arrive at a more realistic depiction of your actor’s policies than you would simply by relying on US-based documents alone.

Communications
A special simulation community will be created to facilitate communication among teams during the simulation. Through this community, you will be able to communicate with all participants, one of more individual teams, and with SIMCON. You will also use a special conference sector of the community for the scheduled summit meetings.

Regular e-mail: The backbone of your negotiations should be the "regular mail." Regular mail can be accessed at any time, and should be checked daily. There should be a steady flow of messages from the start of the simulation as each country begins to establish ties and opens communications with other countries. As is the case with "real world" conferences and summit meetings, those messages that flow behind the scenes set the stage for what will take place during the on-line summit conferences and will determine what, if anything, will be accomplished during the limited time of those conferences.

Real-time conferencing (summits): The on-line summits will last 90 minutes each, and will cover specific topics. All teams are invited to attend each summit. The agenda of each summit is set and distributed in advance, and will grow from the course of the negotiations to that time. The on-line conferences are like a real summit meeting, where heads of state actually meet to hammer out specific details of an issues following behind-the-scenes preparation. The more effective your negotiations via regular mail prior to the summit, the more successful the summit meetings will be.

Getting Started
Many teams feel a bit uncertain as to how to start. Some teams wait for other countries to take the lead. This can create an unrealistic policy atmosphere, as it is often in a team’s best interest to put forward proposals that will be beneficial to it, rather than wait and have to respond to other actors’ initiatives. From the beginning of the simulation, you should be prepared to communicate your proposals to other teams on a range of issues via regular mail. And please remember to submit your position/briefing paper to SIMCON prior to the start of the simulation.

It is often the case that the more messages you send, the more responses you are likely to get. Be specific, respond to messages in a timely fashion, and be sure to leave room to negotiate!

Applications
Although this is a simulation of events in the international system, many of the lessons learned have practical applications. First, the simulation teaches about the process of negotiation, which is part of every aspect of life. While the focus here is on negotiations among and between countries, in fact, the same principles apply in negotiations between spouses, parent and child, boss and employee, and among friends. Second, this program is technology based, something that is a critical part of our world today. Remember that you are using Internet and Web technology to send and receive messages and to do research for the simulation. But, again, the applications of the technology are transferable beyond the bounds of this program. Third, the basis of this program is the written word, and learning to think critically and analytically. These are skills necessary to advance in the work place as well as your educational career and throughout life. Finally, the simulation focuses on contemporary international events and the interrelationship among them. In a world that is increasingly interdependent and interconnected, it is impossible to be considered truly "educated" unless you are aware of the important issues and the different perspectives that countries have on those issues. Similarly, understanding those different country perspectives should help clarify the position that others within your own community might have. And that, too, is part of what it means to be "educated" in the world today.

Continue to INMP Scenario.

¹The International Negotiation Modules Project and the scenario created for it is the property of Dr. Joyce P. Kaufman and Whittier College. Please do not duplicate or reproduce without permission. (January 2000)

²The issues included here were the result of a discussion among the participating faculty who attended the INMP training workshop in November 1999. The issues were constructed to meet the needs of the range of disciplines and courses that will be participating in the simulation.

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