Representative Decision-Making: Challenges to Democratic Peace Theory

Abstract

It has become only too evident that traditional methods of confl ict prevention and resolution are no longer adequate or effective. This is why editor and contributor Mauro Galluccio's present volume appears to fi ll in an existing and ever more visible void in shaping an entirely new approach in modern-day diplomacy. The signifi cance of this book can hardly be over-rated. It offers an entirely new political and psychological angle to transforming confl ict by managing interpersonal dynamics and tailoring preventive behaviors. It alerts us to the crucial role of the mental heritage of confl icts and powerful emotions. In brief, it enhances an entirely new type of negotiation as a fundamental tool of managing, preventing, and resolving confl ict by acknowledging the diversity of mental viewpoints about any given reality.This volume can indeed serve as a handbook to practitioners-diplomats and decision-makers-in educating themselves, in reshaping their own outlook, and in even bettering themselves as individuals in positions of authority and responsibility for bringing positive change to the lives of millions of people. Elena Poptodorova Ambassador of Bulgaria to the United StatesGalluccio has brought together a distinguished and diverse group of scholars and practitioners to address an enduring, if evolving, challenge to human wellbeing: violent confl ict between nations and subnational groups. His aim is to organize the interdisciplinary character of the research, on which the authors draw, into coherent perspectives on the causes of confl icts and potentially effective interventions designed to prevent and resolve them.There is much that is new here. Perhaps most important, there is a focus on the personal and emotional character of confl ict-for those who engage in it and those who intervene to mitigate it. The passion, competence, and intensity that Galluccio brings to this edited volume is striking and appropriate, in light of the importance of the topic to those who have been or will be victims of violent confl ict, but at no point does it detract from the intellectual rigor that characterizes the entire volume. Robert L. Gallucci US Ambassador-at-Large Past President of the MacArthur Foundation Former US Assistant Secretary of StateThis timely volume and the work of Dr. Mauro Galluccio on international negotiation and mediation is extremely relevant in the current climate of confl ict throughout the world and the potential perils that presently exist among nations. This collection of essays by renowned scholars, foreign policy experts, offi cials, psychologists, and other practitioners, ably assembled and edited by Dr. Mauro Galluccio, is so very welcome. This handbook highlights the complexity, and diffi culty, of international negotiations. Fortunately, it also provides important and useful tools for those responsible for conducting diplomacy with terrorists and insurgents. It is sure to be widely read, cited, and used as a valuable reference work for years to come. Mitchell Reiss President of the Colon...

Rebel group legitimacy, ideology and durable peace

“…The role played by civil society groups around the negotiating table was also shown to influence DP. Using an HRM, Cuhadar and Druckman (2023) found that the key predictor of DP was ICs, one of seven civil society modalities. The HRM results showed that the ICs added significant variation to predictability based on PJ.…”

“…In this study, we focus on factors that influence durable societal peace (DP). Recent research has provided insights into the roles played by justice during the negotiation process (Druckman and Wagner, 2019) and civil society participation around that process (Cuhadar and Druckman, 2023). We found that adherence to principles of procedural justice (PJ) within the negotiation sets in motion a process that culminates in long-term peace.…”

Looking Back and Looking Forward in Negotiation and Conflict Research

“…The constraints come from constituencies (those being represented) and features of the other side in a negotiation. Of particular interest are the findings on constituencies divided into more hawkish or dovish factions (Aaldering & De Dreu 2012) and the type of regime, as autocratic or democratic, of the nation represented by the opponent (Cuhadar & Druckman 2014). The opportunities occur when representatives adopt a pro-social orientation, when they negotiate in privacy, when they have high status within the group being represented (increased latitude), and when salient solutions to problems are identified (Druckman 2015).…”

Advances in Machine Learning for the Behavioral Sciences

“…Thurstone’s Law of Comparative Judgment essentially states that such pairwise comparisons correspond to an internal, unknown utility scale (Thurstone, 1927). Recovering this hidden information from such qualitative preference is studied in various areas such as ranking theory (Marden, 1995), social choice theory (Rossi, Venable, & Walsh, 2011), voting theory (Coughlin, 2008), sports (Langville & Meyer, 2012), negotiation theory (Druckman, 1993), decision theory (Bouyssou et al, 2002), democratic peace theory (Cuhadar & Druckman, 2014), and marketing research (Rao, Green, & Wind, 2007). Thus, many results in preference learning are based on established statistical models for ranking data, such as the Plackett–Luce (Luce, 1959; Plackett, 1975) or Bradley–Terry (Bradley & Terry, 1952) models, which allow an analyst to model probability distributions over rankings.…”