Decision-Making Meets Negotiation: The Palestinian Bid for UN Recognition

Department

School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development

Additional Department

School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2016

Abstract

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict attracts much scholarly and diplomatic attention. However, despite Secretary of State John Kerry’s determination during the 2014 round of negotiations, the parties are no closer to reaching a negotiated agreement over twenty years after the signing of the Oslo Accords. This article explores an under-examined aspect of negotiation, the decision to enter into talks, using poliheuristic theory. We examine the decision-making calculus of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in his bid for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, a decision to not negotiate. We ask not only why did Abbas choose to bypass US-mediated negotiations, but why he chose to pursue Palestinian statehood at the UN. In our analysis and discussion, we identify gaps in the existing decision-making and negotiation literatures and ways to better incorporate questions of power asymmetry and the complexity of context into poliheuristic theory.

Journal Title

International Negotiation

Journal ISSN

1571-8069

Volume

21

Issue

3

First Page

409

Last Page

439

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1163/15718069-12341337

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