Words of War
Negotiation as a Tool of Conflict (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)
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Words of War
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Narrated by:
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Gary Roelofs
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By:
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Eric Min
About this listen
In Words of War, Eric Min pulls back the curtain on when, why, and how belligerents negotiate while fighting.
Of all interstate conflicts across the last two centuries, two-thirds have ended through negotiated agreement. Wartime diplomacy is thus commonly seen as a costless and mechanical process solely designed to end fighting. But as Min argues, wartime negotiations are not just peacemaking tools. They are in fact a highly strategic activity that can also help states manage, fight, and potentially win wars.
Two factors determine whether and how belligerents will negotiate: the amount of pressure that outside parties can place on belligerents them to engage in diplomacy, and information obtained from fighting on the battlefield.
Combining statistical and computational text analyses with qualitative case studies ranging from the War of the Roman Republic to the Korean War, Min shows that negotiations are more likely to occur with strong external pressures. Words of War compels us to rethink the assumption that it "cannot hurt" to promote diplomacy during war.
The book is published by Cornell University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.
©2025 Cornell University (P)2025 Redwood AudiobooksCritic reviews
"Significantly improves our understanding of when and why negotiations end wars..." (Alex Weisiger, University of Pennsylvania)
"This thoughtful and well-written book makes a compelling case for understanding the complex motives that bring leaders to the table..." (Sarah Croco, University of Maryland, College Park)
"A rich, thoughtful new approach to the study of wartime negotiation...expands our understanding of diplomacy in an eminently readable and interesting way." (Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, New York University)