International Negotiations

Book excerpt: International Negotiations combines three main elements: an overview of theoretical perspectives on the process of international negotiations; a set of case studies; and a new approach toward the issue of how domestic politics affect the process of isuch kind of talks. One of the most important sets of variables affecting the outcome of international negotiations is the domestic political situation. Often talks fail or succeed mainly due to pressure from domestic groups. Nikolaev offers a new - communication-oriented - model of the two-level-game theory, which is highly effective in conceptualizing the problem of domestic influence over international negotiations. The case studies demonstrate how various theoretical approaches contribute to a deeper understanding of the the outcomes of different international talks and how vital the new model of the two-level-game theory is to this understanding.