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Diplomacy Negotiation:

Classroom Summit

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• Introduction to Diplomacy (10 minutes)
• Class Activity: Classroom Summit (45 minutes)
• Global Connections: Diplomacy on the World Stage (5 minutes)

Today’s Schedule

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Diplomacy (def): All the ways that countries communicate with one another to advocate for their national interests.

Includes:

• Negotiations
• Consultations
• Back-channel talks
• Summits and conferences
• Day-to-Day Diplomacy

What is Diplomacy? (10 minutes)

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According to today’s reading, what makes negotiations successful? What makes negotiations fail?

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Are you ready to explore diplomatic negotiations firsthand?

Activity: Classroom Summit

(45 minutes)

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• Today we are going to simulate a diplomatic negotiation.
• To do this, we need a topic.
• What is something school-related that you care about?
• Cell phone policy?
• Homework load?
• Dress codes?
• Cafeteria menu?
• AI policy?
• Something else?

Setting the Stage, Choosing a Topic (5 minutes)

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Now that we have a topic, split out into two teams….

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• Working with your group, identify each of the following from your assigned perspective regarding the topic
• Goals (what does your group want?)
• Nonnegotiables (what does your group need to protect?)
• Areas of Possible Compromise (where is your group willing to bend?)
• Group Spokesperson (who will speak for your group?)

Negotiation Preparation (10 minutes)

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Are you ready to negotiate?

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• Negotiation is all about civil discourse
• Civil discourse (def): respectful, open exchange of ideas aimed at fostering mutual understanding and solving public problems.
• To keep things civil, let’s agree to…
• Speak through our chosen spokespeople
• Back up our arguments with facts
• Listen without interrupting
• Ask clarifying questions before disagreeing
• Propose solutions (not just problems!)
• Aim for mutual agreement (not total victory!)

Summit Rules (Code of Conduct)

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• Opening statements (1-2 minutes per group)
• Who you represent
• The big-picture outcome you hope for
• Why this issue matters to you
• Commitment to “good-faith” negotiations
• Exchange of goals and nonnegotiables (5 minutes)
• Proposal Round (5 minutes)
• Each side offers a plan
• Counterproposal Round (5 minutes)
• Each side offers a revised plan based on the other group’s offering
• Drafting a Joint Agreement (we’ll do this altogether at the end!)

Summit Structure: How We’ll Work (15-20 minutes)

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Let’s Go!

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Round 1: Opening Statements

(2-3 minutes)

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Round 2: Exchange of Goals & Nonnegotiables

(5 minutes)

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Round 3: Proposals

(5 minutes)

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Round 4: Counterproposals

(5 minutes)

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Are we ready to draft our agreement?

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• [Instructor to transcribe agreement here as students detail the specifics of their accord]
• Signatories
• [Spokesperson #1]
• [Spokesperson #2]

Round 5: The Agreement (10 minutes)

Debrief: What Just Happened?!

(5 minutes)

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• What sticking points did you notice during the summit?
• What strategies did you use to negotiate past these sticking points?
• What stood out to you during these negotiations?
• How do you think this activity might reflect real-world tensions and realities of diplomatic negotiation?

Debrief: Classroom Summit Observations & Experiences

Concluding Discussion: From Classroom to Conference

(5 minutes)

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Negotiations are key to international relations.

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A successful negotiation requires its participants to communicate, cooperate, and compromise.

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Negotiations can’t solve everything, but they can prevent an imperfect situation from getting worse.

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• Yalta Conference (1945) - Franklin Delano Roosevelt (US), Winston Churchill (UK), and Joseph Stalin (USSR) divide Europe and set the stage for the Cold War.
• Nixon-Mao Summit (1972) - Reestablishes diplomatic relations between the U.S. and CHina
• Camp David Accords (1978) - Facilitated by Jimmy Carter, leading to a historic peace treaty between Egypt and Israel
• Geneva Summit (1985) - First meeting between Ronald Reagan (US) and Mikhail Gorbachev (USSR), setting the stage for arms control.
• Paris Agreement (2015) - Landmark international pact for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Summits and Negotiations in Modern History (examples)

Homework Question

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Select a current global issue. What might the involved country’s goals, nonnegotiables, and compromises look like? Outline a potential real-world solution that respects each sides goals and concerns.

Class Dismissed!

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