When pain is not persuasion
Washington and Tehran are both at the table, and both are telling their people they hold the upper hand. Washington points to a struck nuclear program, a wrecked economy, a leadership decapitated on the war’s first night. Tehran points to a strait it can close, an oil price that answers to it and terms that now include American withdrawal and even compensation.In “Fiddler on the Roof,” the main character Tevye hears one man’s argument and tells him he is right. He hears the opposite and tells that man the same. A bystander objects that they cannot both be right. Tevye tells him he is also right.All three are. The two sides measure different things, and neither measures what a negotiation of this kind can deliver. Israel fought the war and is not in the room for the talks. Israel is the party that will live inside the difference.The confusion begins…
The article discusses the differing perspectives of America and Iran regarding the ongoing conflict, with Israel caught in the middle. Both Washington and Tehran claim victory, but they measure success by different metrics. The author argues that a fundamental misunderstanding exists in the Western model of persuasion, which assumes all parties operate based on negotiable "interests" rather than non-negotiable "obligations."
- The article highlights that while interests can be traded or coerced, obligations, which are deeply held beliefs or duties, cannot be bought off or surrendered without being seen as a transgression.
- Economic pressure, for instance, may not persuade an ideological adversary but instead confirm their belief that the opponent seeks their destruction.
- The author suggests that leverage can contain or delay an obligation, buying time, but it cannot ultimately end it.
- True resolution of an obligation, as seen with eliminationist doctrines of the past century, often requires force and subsequent reconstruction, actions beyond the scope of negotiation.
The core diagnostic question is whether the other side is protecting an interest or an obligation, as this determines whether negotiation can lead to a lasting resolution or merely a temporary suspension.
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