The Sound of One Hand Clapping
“Negotiating is a trading process whereby two parties can reach agreement by trading concessions”. So said a wise man many years ago and he was right. The great thing about negotiating is that it can enable two people in conflict to strike a deal despite their differences – be they commercial, cultural or even political.
At the recent G20 summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, it was interesting to see how quickly David Cameron distanced himself from the Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner when the subject of the Falkland Islands came up in their now famous chance meeting. A negotiated settlement looks a long way off on that particular issue. Presidents Obama and Putin treated each other frostily at the same summit when they met to discuss Syria’s woes. Putin believes that President Assad should be allowed to carry on without outside interference while Obama takes a different view. Carolyn Kaster’s AP photograph shows two men about to shake hands, but not in a good way!
In a similar vein, local politicians in Scotland have been criticized this week for suddenly finding convenient excuses not to meet and fete the visiting Dalai Lama. This peaceful man is not going to win any popularity competitions with Chinese leaders and the suggestion is that Dundee lord provost Bob Duncan has found a convenient funeral he has to attend which will result in his absence from a lecture that the Dalai Lama will give in the Caird Hall. Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, has similarly been criticized for not clearing some time in his diary to meet the Tibetan leader.
The suggestion is that the Chinese have “nobbled” the two politicians and threatened commercial sanctions against Scottish businesses with interests in China. Negotiated settlements in