From National Dissension to International Negative Cycles

Abstract

Niv-Solomon, Anat. Cooperation and Protracted Con lict in International Affairs: Cycles of Reciprocity. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) "Cooperation and Protracted Con lict in International Affairs" is a persuasive analysis of the application of the concept of reciprocity to the study of international relations. The interdisciplinarity of this book represents an added value to the literature on conlict resolution. The author, Anat Niv-Solomon, is an Associate Professor in political science at the College of Staten Island, New York, USA. She obtained her PhD degree from the University of Connecticut, completing a dissertation that she reworked to write this book. Solomon built a theoretical framework in her dissertation which she then applied in her irst published book. Surprisingly, however, she does not mention or cite her dissertation in it. This is even more curious as both-dissertation and book-have the same title, but not the same content. Her focus on decision making in foreign policy and on international negotiations led her to the study of resolution approaches in con lictual situations in international regimes. Solomon's publications from 2009 to the present mirror her interest in this ield. Her involvement with the International Studies Association and with the Model Diplomacy Group from the Council on Foreign Relations of the United States demonstrates a real concern with mechanisms of negotiation among decision makers. This book is one example of her analysis of possible outcomes stemming from critical situations. She stands out in comparison to most of her colleagues in this ield of international relations research, by including and addressing the possibility of negative outcomes in critical juncture situations, as de ined in comparative politics, rather than