GRADUATE PROGRAM IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND COEXISTENCE

113HS-267F-1 – Humanitarian Negotiation

Alain Lempereur, Alan B. Slifka Professor in Coexistence and Conflict Resolution

Class Time:Spring 2016, Module 2, Friday, 2:00 pm – 4:50 pm

Location:Heller, 163

Contact information for Prof. Lempereur

Fall Office Hours: Please use the following Google Doc

Office:Heller School Building, #106

Email:

Phone:x 63959

Skype ID:Alain-Lempereur

Course Description

Humanitarian negotiators are ordinary people who do extraordinary thingsto protectthe most vulnerable in highly volatile contexts,engaging interlocutors that some deemthe least legitimate to talk to and the least likely to convince.

Humanitarians address human-or nature-made disasters.They make life saving the purpose of their negotiation moves and embody the responsibility to protect, at strategic, operational and ground levels. First, they seek access to those who need protection, and assess their needs. Second, they inform the different stakeholders of how to take action and they inquire about how to trigger humanityin the reality in order to alleviate suffering. Finally, they stay engaged in a sustainable way as long as lives are threatened. They act as de facto advocates of the war wounded, prisoners, refugees or internally displaced people, women or children at risk, civilians, victims, etc. They cope with dilemmas that idealists/pragmatists, perpetrators, obstructionists, sympathizers, or bystanders raise and they help persuade them by leveraging many motivations. Through a complex process of joint problem solving with people, they ensure vital nutrition, care, and shelter.

This advanced module on humanitarian diplomacy builds on, and further tests, the Responsible Negotiation methods of the semester course. It seeks tounderstandfrontline negotiators’ challenges and to providea practical motivation-based framework that supports the field. This class explores past and present negotiators, historical figures and unsung heroes, who got small but crucial yesses on behalf of noncombatants in danger. It explores real-life cases and simulations involving the ICRC, MSF, UNHCR andUNOCHA, WFP, NRC, other humanitarian organizations,religious charities, and even businesses. We cover 150 years of humanitarian diplomacy’sunique contributions to saving countless lives.

Objectives

Exploring humanitarian responsibility

The course examines how to integrate the responsibility to protect as a permanent drive in humanitarian negotiation, which is defined as a joint process of solving problems between people on behalf of beneficiaries who deserve protection.

  • People CareNegotiators as caretakers

◦Put people first (the needs of the most vulnerable, humanity, impartiality, proximity, identity,benevolence, gender, culture, etc.).

◦Aim for sustainable relationships (and overcomedifficult behaviors and roadblocks).

◦Structure instructions, organizations, coordination and coalitions to reach deals that conform tohumanity and its dignity.

◦Ensure dynamic mapping of all relevant stakeholders in their complexity (including the most vulnerable, local communities, principals, implementers, otherhumanitarian agencies,the government, the elders, bystanders, the non-state armed groups, commanders and soldiery, perpetrators, the press, etc.).

  • Problem SolvingNegotiators as problem solvers

◦Leveragehumanitarian values, principles, and norm compliance (R2P, humanity, suffering alleviation, neutrality, etc.) beyond political/economic/religious/proceduralobstacles in the search for adequate solutions (legitimate, doable, legal).

◦Lookfor broadly acceptable solutions, which respondoptimally to the underlying problems of the most vulnerable, i.e.minimizing suffering, maximizing relief,ensuring human dignity, and open to review.

◦Achieve positive humanitarian impact of the solutions on the beneficiaries and the general environment to be safe, peaceful, caring, sustainable, green, etc.

  • Process FacilitationNegotiators as facilitators

◦Carry on a facilitative process to have access to, and to protect the most vulnerable in a timely fashion.

◦Empower the most vulnerable at all stages, from assessing needs to implementingoperations and handing over.

◦Build ownership of the solutions with all.

◦Implement the agreement in practice and overcome possible roadblocks at all levels (strategic, operational and tactical).

◦Ensure broad accountability for any decision (i.e. not only with principals, but beyond the traditional two-level power structure) and provide feedback loops.

Learning Goals for the Members of this Class

  • Increase awareness about humanitarian negotiation responsibility and complexity.
  • Assess various actors’approaches and skills, strengthsand challenges.
  • Understandhow to align values, norms, attitudesand behaviors, ends and means.
  • Broaden the negotiation repertoire to better protect humanitarians and beneficiaries.
  • Copecreatively with dilemmas, tensions, and dividers.
  • Build integrative conversations, optimizing active perception and persuasion.
  • Improve relationships and trust with principals, peers, teams, and all stakeholders.
  • Leveragethe power of organizations and of positive coalitions.
  • Further the cause of human dignity, nonviolence and coexistence.
  • Crafteffective deals and contracts to deliver life-saving and principle-abiding results
  • Learn how to really learn from experience.

Teaching Methods

This course consists of 7 class sessions taught once a week for 3 hours per class. One extra-session has been scheduled on March 29 between 10am and 2pm. As participants, you are sometimes asked to meet before class in order to prepare in groups.The coursefeaturespractical simulations (role plays) or casesthat you have to:

  • Read at home beforehand (ingeneral, instructions are distributed the week before and must be prepared carefully),
  • Role-play with your classmates, in pairs or in teams, with designated partners so that youcan work with as-many-as-possible diverse classmates, either before class or in class,
  • Debrief and discuss internally with your designated partners, once you are done, and capture thekey lessons on both process and results in writing a summary report, whatever the results are, whether you reach an agreementor not,
  • Discuss with the entire group, through exchange of good practices and awareness of bottlenecks (make sure you have two or three points to share with everyone), and,
  • Connect your experience to the readings, and to relevant theories, concepts and tools, which areexplored in class, summarized inPowerPoint presentations, and can then be mobilized in the next sessions or negotiation simulations or cases.

Participants in the class will also be exposed toexercises and video excerpts that they can review and analyze.

Disability

If you have a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and require accommodations, please bring it to the instructor’s attention prior to the second meeting of the class. If you have any questions about this process, contact Mary Brooks, disabilities coordinator for The Heller School at .

Requirements

Attendance, Punctuality, and Active Participation

In order to benefit from experiential learning, you are required to attend every class, barring documented illness.Please also arrive on time at the beginning of every class and after the break. If you know you will be absent or late for a legitimate reason, make sure youwarn in advance your instructor, who cannot acceptunexcused absences. Whatever the reasons, should you miss more than one class, unfortunately, you will not qualify for credit. Attendance means more than just coming to class and signing the attendance list. You are expected to actively participate, including for group preparation before class.

Assignments and Readings

In order to ensure active participation in the best possible conditions, make sure you complete the assignments listed below on time. You should do so in advance of each class and submit the required documents spontaneously before each class, except if it expressly says otherwise.For the preparation of class time, it is highly recommended that you annotate personal copies of, or make notes from the readings.Youmight be called upon to discuss readings in class and to participate in individual or group presentations. Therefore come to class prepared to allow well-informed discussions. Enjoy complete academic freedom in the classroom, within the limits defined by mutual respect.

As you will be assigned different roles in negotiation simulations or cases, you should not communicate before class with students who are not on the same side as you.

Writing Requirements, and Academic Integrity

The writing requirements listed below are intended to encourage you to approach reading materials critically, to foster improved research and writing skills, and to serve as a basis for contributing to class discussion and a diversity of opinions. You are expected to devote careful attention to the technical quality of your written work, as well as its substance. Honesty matters in all academic work, and is strictly enforced by the instructor.(Please consult this Brandeis weblink). We cannot insist enough on the fact that all written work for this course must include appropriate citation of the sources used.

  • See section 56c (“Avoid Plagiarism”) of the Concise English Handbook.
  • See: ‘Truth even unto its Innermost Part’and in particular the section dealing with citations.

The university policy on academic honesty is distributed annually, as section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Academic integrity is critical in all that you write and say, and transgressions are treated severely. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Office of Campus Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the university. If you have any questions about this, please talk to your instructor, to your faculty advisorand seek guidance.

Individual and Group Assignments

Except if said otherwise, all written assignments must have your nameand be typewritten, double-spaced in 12-point font. Your submission must be uploaded electronically on Latte, as a Microsoft Word attachment, either before, during, or after class as mentioned below.Submit your written assignments on time. Lateness is sanctioned by half-a-grade down.

  1. Group assignment 1 on “Marcel Junod” as an ICRChumanitarian negotiator. Each group of students should come togetherbefore classin order to discuss the chapter(s) they have been assigned to read, identify the negotiations at stake and be ready to summarizethem orally in the second session. They should pay particular attention to the relationship mapping aspects and to the obstacles that Junod overcame.
  • Due: Friday, March 18th (session 2).
  1. Individual assignment 1: After doing the readings for session 3, come up with a list of three questions to ask Peter Maurer about humanitarian negotiations.
  • Due: Monday, March 21st (beforesession 3)
  1. Individual assignment 2: Write a short paper (1 or 2 pages)on lessons learnt from Peter Maurer’s experience in humanitarian negotiations.
  • Due: Friday, April 1st (aftersession 3)
  1. Group assignment 2: Write a1-pagepost-negotiation report.For The Community Conflict, both negotiatorsshould produce asingle document that explains their agreement or notand contains other relevant personal feedback about the interactions.
  • Due: Friday,April1st(during or after session 4)
  1. Group assignment 3 on “The MSF Experience” in humanitarian negotiation. Each group of students should come together before class in order to discuss the case that was assigned to them and be ready to introduce it orally in class.
  • Due: Friday, April8th(in class)
  1. Group assignment 4 on humanitarian negotiators. Each group of four students should engage in the following tasks:
  • Choose one humanitarian negotiator in the following list:Henry Dunant, AracyCarvalho de Gumaraes Rosa,Feng-Shan Ho, Minnie Vautrin, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, ChiuneSempoSugihara, Georg Duckwitz, Oscar and Emilie Schindler, Charles Lutz, Raoul Wallenberg, and Paul Rusesabagina. Each group should choose a different negotiator and identify twoof his or her negotiations.On a Google document that the instructor will share with you, please indicate the names of your group members and of the selected negotiator.

Due:Friday,April 8th(before session 5).

  • Prepare together six PowerPoint slides for your group’s oral presentation. Use the Heller COEX PowerPoint template. After the title slide, introducebriefly the negotiator (1slide), present and analyze two of his or her negotiations (2 slides), the lessons learnt (1 slide) and the book, or any further reading or web source, as to allow the class members to explore further the topic in question(1 slide).
    Due:Tuesday, April 19th: Submit your PowerPoint presentation on Latte.
  • Deliver your 15-minute oral presentation in class. Make sure you rehearse the day before as a group, time your intervention, and synchronize it withyour PowerPoint slides. Ensure that everyone participates,your presentation is as smooth as possible and remains within the allocated 15-minute time slot. There will also be time for Q&A and feedback. You will receive feedback in writing from your classmates. Similarly, you will deliver feedback to the other groups.
    Due:Thursday, April 21st: Group oral presentation (session 7).
  1. Individual Assignment 3: Write a final paper (6-8 pages)onhumanitarian negotiation dilemma.Each studentshould engage in the following tasks:
  • Choose one key dilemmathathumanitarian negotiators might face: Students should address different dilemmas. On a Google document that the instructor will share with the students, summarize in a sentence the dilemma you choose to address. Determine which one of the three following options you choose in order to address your dilemma, as well as the book you plan to mobilize. Please submit your choice of option with your choice of dilemma on Google:
  • Theory Paper.Find and read at least one book or substantial text. Then show by extracting theories, concepts or tools how it helps address the humanitarian dilemma you chose.
  • Case Study. Find and read at least one book or substantial text containinga specific case study that containsa humanitarian negotiation. Clarify if and how the dilemma you chose was addressed and determine if leaders negotiated responsibly in that situation.
  • Simulation,Find and read at least one book or substantial text about theory and/or a case study. Then write the general and confidential instructions for a simulation, as well as the teaching notes(2-3 pages) that build on your book or substantive text.

Due: Friday, April 15th.

  • Write your paper(6-8 pages,including endnotes and bibliography).Remember to put your name and to number the pages. If English is not your native language, make sure your text is proofread and edited before submission. As your final paper is an academic writing assignment, please use the APA writing format, with appropriate references to literature, readings, and or/lectures. A bibliography of quality (and not simplyWeb links or URLs) is expected, as well as explicit connections to the readings of the course.

Due: Friday, April 29th: Download it on Latte

Summary of the Assignments

Dates / Cases, Simulations
Or Themes / Individual and Group Assignments
Session 1 / Mar 11 / Guantama
Session 2 / Mar 18 / Marcel Junod / Group assignment 1: get together to discuss the case you were assigned (before class)
Mar 21 / Individual Assignment 1: a list of three questions for Peter Maurer
Session 3 / Mar 29 / Peter Maurer
Session 4 / Apr 1 / The Community Conflict / Individual Assignment 2: short paper (1-2 pages) on Peter Maurer’s humanitarian negotiations
Group assignment 2: 1-page debrief report
(in or after class)
Session 5 / Apr 8 / The MSF Experience / Group Assignment 3: get together to discuss the MSF case you were assigned (before class)
Group assignment 4: choice of humanitarian negotiator for oral presentation (before class)
Session 6 / Apr 15 / The Conditions / Individual Assignment 3: choice of dilemma and paper option (before class)
Apr 19 / Group Assignment 4: Submission of PPT presentation and dry run
Session 7 / Apr 21 / Humanitarian negotiators and negotiations / Group Assignment 4: Oral presentation
Apr 29 / Final Paper / Individual Assignment 3: final paper (6-8 pages) on humanitarian negotiation dilemma

Grading

The final grade in this course will consist of the following components:

  • 10%: Class Participation (attendance, punctuality, interactions, feedback)
  • 20%: Individual assignment 1 & 2: Questions and Short Paper
  • 20%: Group assignments 1, 2 and 3
  • 20%: Group assignment 4: Oral Presentation
  • 30%: Individual assignment 4: Final Paper

Core Texts

The following books are strongly recommended for this course.

  • Junod, M. (1982) Warrior without Weapons. Geneva, Switzerland: ICRC.
  • Mancini-Griffoli, D. & Picot (2004), A. Humanitarian Negotiation. A Handbook for Securing Access, Assistance and Protection for Civilians in Armed Conflict,Hd (Humanitarian dialogue): Geneva.
  • Magone, C., Neuman, M. & Weissman, F. (ed.) (2011). Humanitarian Negotiations Revealed. The MSF Experience. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Schedule, Readings and Other Assignments

Class Session 1: Humanitarian Diplomacy and Negotiation

Week 1. March 11, 2:00 pm – 4:50 pm

Required Readings and Assignments

  • Read the class syllabus.
  • Read Régnier, P. (2011), “The emerging concept of humanitarian diplomacy: identification of a community of practice and prospects for international recognition,”International Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 93, #884, Dec 2011, 1211-1237.
  • Read Mancini-Griffoli, D. & Picot, A (2004),Humanitarian Negotiation. A Handbook for Securing Access, Assistance and Protection for Civilians in Armed Conflict,Hd (Humanitarian dialogue), Geneva, 19-22.
  • ReadGrace, R. (2015),Humanitarian negotiation: key challenges and lessons leant in an emerging field, ATHA White Paper Series, Humanitarian Academy at Harvard, 12 pages.
  • Read McHugh Gerald & Bessler, M. (2006), Guidelines on Humanitariannegotiation with armed groups. New York, NY:UNICEF.
  • This course follows up on the Responsible Negotiation semester course at the Heller School (HS244a), where the book The First Move. A Negotiator’s Companion (Lempereur, A., Colson, A. &M. Pekar, Wiley, 2010) is a required reading. You are therefore in one of the following situations:
  • You have attended the Responsible Negotiationcourse.Then please refresh your memory by rereadingyourclass notes or the book. Think of how what you learnt might apply or not to humanitarian situations and negotiations.
  • You have not attended the Responsible Negotiation course. Though we did not want it to be a prerequisite for this course, you are then expected to catch up and read the bookThe First Move. A Negotiator’s Companion.

Themes