It is quite hard exiting the loop of a wrong problem setting.
Regarding ukraine war, from the very beginning, the issue has been set in the following terms: had we better make war or negotiate?
The real point is that negotiation is not an option. It is the necessary step after every single war. The option is to decide whether the unavoidable negotiation is preceded or not by a war.
If we check history files, it is easy to realize how the longest battle has alway lasted less than the following negotiation.
One for all:
- The longest 2^ world war battle: Stalingrad battle => July ‘42- February ‘43
- Following negotiation => September ‘45 (2^ WW end) untill October ‘47 (Treaties of Paris)
- Even if we consider the full 2^ WW duration overall (around 5 years), with a so clear evidence of winners and losers, it required – in anycase – a 2 year negotiation to find a way to go on.
We come from a culture of war. We are still in a war culture. At school, teachers spend months explaining battle tactics and asking for war’s date, name and places. Very few words on names, date, and places regarding who settled stable peace.
Final considerations:
- “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail…”. It was a famous quote by Abraham Maslow. If the only tools we have are guns…
- Humankind has been able to create tools much more sofisticated and effective than guns, such as language and trust (ie.: negotiation basis)
- Stop trying to solve wrong set problems, looping around false alternatives: negotiation is not an option. It’s mandatory.
NEGOnotes 