Negotiating Asymmetry

Though wary of China’s rapid rise, her neighbors have considerable experience of dealing with unequal power without surrendering their autonomy. For its part, China has a long memory of unequal or "tributary" relations and a relatively brief and turbulent experience of working within the current useful fiction of "sovereign equality" in international relations. The emerging pattern will have to take account of the great discrepancy in economic and military power between the future China and her neighbours, and of how such asymmetry can be managed peacefully. Negotiating Asymmetry explores how the real or imagined norms governing past relations may shape China’s future position in the region by considering how relationships have changed over the past two centuries. The volume argues that neither the "Chinese world order" of tribute relations nor the Westphalia model of sovereign equality ever operated effectively in Asia, but suggests that the past does offer strong indicators about the shape of a new order in Asia.

Argues that neither the 'Chinese world order' of tribute relations nor the Westphalia model of sovereign equality ever operated effectively in Asia, but suggests that the past does offer strong indicators about the shape of a new order in Asia.

Examines perceived power on the basis of which symmetries and asymmetries in the relations between parties can be identified

The slow pace of the Doha Round has boosted the proliferation of regional and bilateral trade agreements. Paradoxically, the more powerful actors, the US and the European Union, who at the same time have benefited the most from the multilateral system, have also been engaged in bilateral and regional negotiations in order to sign WTO-plus agreements with developing countries. Combining a clear theoretical exposition with systematic cross-regional analysis, 'Asymmetric Trade Negotiations' offers a coherent picture of strategic, design and political economy aspects of North-South trade negotiation processes, from African, Asian and Latin American perspectives. Skilled area specialists gather to provide negotiators and policy makers in the South with recommendations, best practices, and benchmarks and contribute to the understanding of these recent processes.

Describes a method of negotiation that isolates problems, focuses on interests, creates new options, and uses objective criteria to help two parties reach an agreement.

How do you negotiate with Wal-Mart? With America's President over going to war? An improved education for your kids? A cleaner environment? An ethical issue with an intimidating boss? An unequal personal relationship? A Super Bowl victory for a team of losers? A capital infusion for a start-up venture? Better healthcare for your family? The return of stolen treasure, lost rights or a canceled credit card? Your survival if you're taken hostage by an armed killer? In this pioneering book, negotiation expert Peter Johnston surprises us with answers to these far-flung questions, laying out unique strategies and concrete steps we can all use to handle the growing number of giants in our personal and professional lives. As readers, we travel across time - through riveting, real-life stories - uncovering the secrets of successful smaller players so we, too, can get what we want against the odds.

Negotiations are of increasing importance in highly regulated sectors, particularly in network industries such as telecommunications and transport. Negotiating partners in these markets are often not equal with regard to their various sources and instruments of power. This analysis shows that negotiations are possible and can be efficient for all actors, even when power is distributed asymmetrically. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms are discussed as an alternative to conventional negotiations.

The relevance of translation has never been greater. The challenges of the 21st century are truly glocal and societies are required to manage diversities like never before. Cultural and linguistic diversities cut across ideological systems, those carefully crafted to uphold prevailing hierarchies of power, making asymmetries inescapable. Translation and interpreting studies have left behind neutrality and have put forward challenging new approaches that provide a starting point for researching translation as a cultural and historical product in a global and asymmetrical world. This book addresses issues arising from the power vested in and arrogated by translation and interpreting either as instruments of change, or as tools to sustain dominant structures. It presents new perspectives and cutting-edge research findings on how asymmetries are fashioned, woven, upheld, experienced, confronted, resisted, and rewritten through and in translation. This volume is useful for scholars looking for tools to raise awareness as to the challenges posed by the pervasiveness of power relations in mediated communication. It will further help practitioners understand how asymmetries shape their experiences when translating and interpreting.