In the past months we have seen important negotiations end in gridlock or extremely ambiguous and weak agreements, bound to be broken sooner or later. Examples include: Hamas-Israel, Ukraine-Separatists-Russia-the EU-the US, Assad regime-Syrian National Coalition. The reasons for failure are numerous and each case has its own characteristics, but a disturbing undercurrent seems to be that the parties rely on completely different perceptions of what is just. The troubling side of this development demonstrates how different concepts of justice can be difficult to overcome during the negotiations since they are often directly linked to fundamental identity issues.

The above are examples of hefty life and death situations, but perceptions of justice also impede on more normal diplomatic negotiation processes, ranging from climate change, to non-proliferation and trade. It leads to negotiations which are no longer about the exchange of interests, but a discussion of entitlements and demands of writing the wrong, while that wrong is not even recognized by the other party. Issues of sustainability might be overcome if the negotiations take place in a well- functioning regime with an agreed rule-set. Unfortunately, pressures on such regimes are rising.

The Hague Institute, Clingendael, and the Clingendael PIN Program are honored to welcome two of the most renowned experts, Dr. William Zartman and Dr. Cecilia Albin, for a timely discussion on the notion of justice as an important element of conflict negotiation processes.

Date: Tuesday 4 November 2014
Time: 9.30h – 11.00h
Venue: The Hague Institute for Global Justice, Sophialaan 10, The Hague, Meeting Room 1

The full programme and biographies of speakers can be found in the attachment below.