Harvard Law School Association of Massachusetts

The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School is pleased to present:

PON Live! Book Talk

The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World

A virtual talk with:

Stuart E. Eizenstat

Former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union

Attorney, Covington & Burling LLP

Robert Mnookin

Moderator

Williston Professor of Law, Emeritus

Director, Harvard Negotiation Research Project

Former Chair, Program on Negotiation

Monday, October 28, 2024
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET (US and Canada)
Free and open to the public.

Click to access the Zoom registration link.

The session will be recorded. Pending approval, we will post the recording on this page after the session.

About the talk:

At a time when the world is in turmoil and conflict, veteran U.S. diplomat and negotiator Stuart E. Eizenstat has released a book that makes a case for the importance of diplomacy in meeting America’s most significant global challenges. Based on his role in negotiations and personal interviews with more than 125 U.S. and international leaders, including some of the greatest practitioners of the art of diplomacy, Eizenstat provides an intimate view of diplomacy as today’s history; he recounts the stories behind every major international agreement in the modern era, from the opening to China and the treaty to end the Vietnam War to the Iranian nuclear deal and the Abraham Accords. He also analyzes the use and efficacy of military force as an instrument of diplomacy.

Eizenstat’s talk will include recounting events leading up to negotiations, the drama around the table, and the lessons from successful and unsuccessful strategies and tactics. He will also describe the key qualities that successful negotiators must possess and the context in which they must operate.

This book is available for purchase from Amazon.com.

About the Speakers:

Stuart E. Eizenstat has served as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union and Deputy Secretary of both Treasury and State. He is also the author of President Carter: The White House Years (2018), The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the United States (2012), and Imperfect Justice: Looted Assets, Slave Labor, and the Unfinished Business of World War II (2003).

Ambassador Eizenstat is a senior member of Covington & Burling LLP’s international practice. His work at Covington focuses on resolving global trade problems, business disputes with the U.S. and foreign governments, and international business transactions and regulations for U.S. companies and others worldwide.

During decades of public service in five U.S. administrations, Ambassador Eizenstat has held a number of key senior positions, including chief White House domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981); U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs, and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton Administration (1993-2001). He played a key role in several complex negotiations: the 1996-1998 standoff between the U.S. and E.U. regarding economic sanctions against Cuba, Iran, and Libya; a 1997 trade dispute between the U.S. and Japan over controversial port practices; the management of the U.S. delegation to the 1997 Kyoto conference on global warming; and a 1999-2000 dispute between the U.S. government and U.S. terrorism victims over the availability of blocked assets to settle legal judgments.

Ambassador Eizenstat received the Program on Negotiation’s Great Negotiator Award in 2003 for his landmark efforts to reclaim property and acquire compensation for many victims of Nazi Germany. During six years of negotiations, he addressed issues relating to the millions of dollars in assets and property stolen from forced laborers, Jews, and others. His outstanding skill as a negotiator enabled him to secure $8 billion in reparations for Holocaust survivors.

Robert H Mnookin is the Samuel Williston Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School and for twenty-five years served as the Chair of the Program on Negotiation. He directs the Harvard Negotiation Research Project. A leading scholar in the field of conflict resolution, Professor Mnookin has applied his interdisciplinary approach to negotiation and conflict resolution to a wide range of problems, both public and private.

A renowned teacher and lecturer, Professor Mnookin has taught numerous workshops for corporations, governmental agencies, and law firms throughout the world, and he trained executives and professionals in negotiation and mediation skills. As a neutral arbitrator or mediator, he has resolved numerous complex commercial disputes.

Professor Mnookin has written or edited ten books and numerous scholarly articles. His most recent books include Kissinger the Negotiator (with J. Sebenius and N. Burns); The Jewish American Paradox: Embracing Choice in a Changing World, and Bargaining with the Devil: When to Negotiate, When to Fight.