Decision-making Meets Negotiation: The Palestinian Bid for UN Recognition
Department
School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
Embargo Period
6-25-2018
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
1382-340X
Volume
21
Issue
3
First Page
409
Last Page
439
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1163/15718069-12341337