Bargaining with the Devil, to Robert Mnookin, means negotiating with someone who has intentionally done harm and may well do so in the future: “an adversary whose behavior [one] may even see as evil.” 1 Should one negotiate with such a person or such a regime? Surprisingly, in this book, the Chair of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation argues that there are circumstances in which the wise decision is to fight the harm-doer rather than negotiate. But that decision, if it is truly wise, can be made only after a rigorous analysis of the situation. In this book Mnookin sets out a framework to help in that analysis and illustrates it by reference to eight case histories. The question posed by the book’s sub-title is stark: when to negotiate, when to fight?

By Jonathan R. Cohen[1]
“Where there are two Jews, there are three opinions.”
When I first read Bob Bordone’s e-mail describing the symposium on “The Negotiation Within,” I was of two minds. Part of me wanted to attend. The subject was intriguing, the panelists included many old friends, and a trip back to Cambridge would be enjoyable. [...]