Challenges of Diplomatic Negotiation

There are innumerable challenges that affect diplomatic negotiation processes and endeavors. While the challenges that affect this process differ depending on the type of diplomatic negotiations, Policy Brief reveals four main challenges cut across the board. These challenges include violence, complexity, bureaucracy, and people (Meerts, 2015a). In diplomatic negotiations, violence implies peaceful war. However, the diplomatic negotiation process is always under constant threat of destruction in cases where the diplomatic parties may resort to violent actions as the most effective action that may defend their interests. Scholars assess that the main opinion is that violence becomes particularly prevalent when the various actors within the diplomatic negotiations are as a mutually hurting stalemate. While this state may lead to various problems, it may create an opportunity for a mutual and peaceful exit approach that benefits all the parties. 

Most diplomatic negotiations are often deemed to have some extent of complexity. Today, the world is changing and advancing rapidly. Thus, countries face an array of issues that continue to grow exponentially. In turn, this leads to an enhancement of complexity within diplomatic negotiations horizontally and vertically. Meerts (2015a) reveals that horizontal diplomatic negotiations complexity often occurs due to the actors portraying relative strengths and weaknesses of their organizations, thereby having a centrifugal impact while pushing for their interests. On the other hand, vertical diplomatic negotiations complexity is a more influential type since it involves the media as part of the actors, thereby enhancing transparency and promoting the various diplomats or countries to reach a peaceful and mutually beneficial consensus. 

Consequently, bureaucracy presents a challenge to diplomatic negotiations since the various actors advocate for their individual interests that may not conform with the state’s interests. Meerts (2015a) reveals that for diplomatic negotiations to be successful, it is vital for the actors (in this case, diplomats) to act according to the interest of the countries they are representing rather than their personal interests. The lack thereof this aspect reveals that there is the presence of bureaucracy which may inhibit diplomatic negotiations. Lastly, people are always linked with negative factors that may otherwise affect the negotiation process. People may exhibit characteristics such as impatience, egoism, and stupidity, thus inhibiting the diplomatic negotiation processes.