Negotiation
The famous military strategy of "divide and conquer" doesn't just work on the battlefield. Sebenius describes the manner in which then-Treasury Secretary James Baker convened and conducted the so-called Plaza Accords in 1985 to form an international coalition that worked to solve currency problems depressing the U.S. economy: first one ally was approached and an agreement secured, then this allegiance was used to gain support with another, and this coalition of three was used to create a coalition of five, and so on. This sequencing, as Sebenius terms it, is essential in multi-party negotiations, even in situations where the choices are relatively simple or even a binary "yes/no" question. Securing the desired answer from each party in a specific order can greatly increase the likelihood of overall success and consensus, as it did in the Plaza Accords and in...
Such sequencing not only gives the sequencer more knowledge when it comes to bargaining position, but also more to bargain with -- more incentives that can be offered with surety, and greater clout that can be wielded through allegiances formed.
In the run-up to the first war in Iraq in the early 1990s, a certain failure of sequencing can be seen. Nations with supposed allegiances found themselves uninformed about other countries' movements, and in some cases came to agreements and took actions based on supposed but betrayed allegiances. Coalitions can be built to work towards or oppose goals, and sequencing influences both.
2.a.
Addressing gender and other discrimination concerns in a constructive manner depends upon the ability and willingness to "explore each…
