International Negotiations: Mechanisms for the Management of Complex Systems
| Author | Frances Mautner-Markhof |
| DOI | 10.1177/001083678802300204 |
| Published date | 01 March 1988 |
| Date | 01 March 1988 |
Research
Note
International
Negotiations:
Mechanisms
for
the
Management
of
Complex
Systems
FRANCES
MAUTNER-MARKHOF
Mautner-Markhof,
F.
International
Negotiations:
Mechanisms
for
the
Management
of
Complex
Systems.
Cooperation
and
Conflict
XXIII,
1988,
95-106.
Arguing
that
the
process
of
negotiation
is
an
essential
mechanism
of
cooperation
for
dealing
with
risk,
instability
and
change
in
a
complex
international
system,
the
author
explores
how
international
organizations
can
contribute
to
achieving
positive
negotiation
outcomes.
The
role
of
the
International
Atomic
Energy
Agency
in
the
negotiations
of
the
Conventions
on
Early
Notification
and
Emergency
Assistance
in
the
Event
of
a
Nuclear
Accident
is
examined
as
a
case
in
point.
"Nothing
is
more
important
in
life
than
finding
the
right
standpoint
for
seeing
and
judging
events,
and
then
adhering
to
it.
One
point
and
only
one
yields
an
integrated
view
of
all
phenomena;
and
only
by
holding
to
that
point
of
view
can
one
avoid
inconsistency."
(von
Clausewitz
1979:606)
1.
INTRODUCTION
Negotiations
are
essential
mechanisms
of
international
cooperation
to
deal
with
risk,
unpredictability,
change
and
insta-
bilities
in
the
complex
system
of
inter-
national
order.
To
deal
effectively
with
the
international
transboundary
effects
of
technological
and
other
risk,
appro-
priate,
internationally
negotiated
instru-
ments
must
generally
be
in
place
to
pro-
vide
a
basis
for
further
specific
legal,
technical
and
other
actions
to
reduce,
manage
and
compensate
for
the
impacts
of
risk.
Examples
of
international
nego-
tiations
which
lay
the
foundation
for
dealing
with
transboundary
risk
include
the
Conventions
on
Early
Notification
and
Emergency
Assistance
in
the
Event
of
a
Nuclear
Accident,
the
Convention
on
the
Protection
of
the
Ozone
Layer,
and
the
Helsinki
Convention
on
the
Protection
of
the
Marine
Environment
of
the
Baltic
Sea
Area.
There
are
many
potential
and
actual
advantages
in
conducting
international
negotiations
within
the
framework
of
international
organizations
or
other
multi-
lateral
mechanisms,
provided they
func-
tion
effectively
and
within
the
terms
of
their
mandates.
In
such
cases,
these
organizations
and
mechanisms
are
impor-
tant
and
unique
fora
which
can
contribute
to
achieving
positive
negotiations
out-
comes.
One
advantage
is
that
they
are
in
place
-
there
is
no
need
to
negotiate
on
where
to
negotiate
or
on
the
frame-
work
and
functioning
of
the
forum
chosen.
An
extremely
important
factor
is
the
confidence
which
Member
States
have
developed
not
only
in
the
international
organization
or
other
multilateral
mech-
anism
(referred
to
hereafter
simply
as
international
organization),
but
also
in
each
other’s
representatives
to
this
inter-
national
organization,
through
their
fre-
quent
contacts
within
the
context
of
working
for
and
through
the
organization.
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