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in each other's welfare negotiate, there is talk of a win-win situation. However, this is
no guarantee that the best solution to the problem will be found.
The problems of win-win negotiations
Win-win outcomes are the desired objective of genuine negotiations. However,
they also have their own problems, some ofwhich are mentioned below:
Irreconcilable Moral Differences
Win-win solutions are difficult to find when there are irreconcilable differences
concerning moral, religious and personal values.
High-stakes Distributional Conflicts
The distribution of resources causes problems
because some people are
concerned genuinely about the equitable distribution of available resources. Others are
individualistic or selfish. They want to exploit the resources for their own benefit, or
enjoy the sole benefit ofan environmental resource.
Analysing Conflict
When the before-mentioned negotiation processes break down, the result more
often than not is conflict, stoked by feelings of recrimination and distrust. In order to
see the extent of the conflict and to make sure that all the relevant aspects will be
discussed during the negotiation, Harris and Reilly
(http://www.idea.int/publications/democracvanddeeprootedconflict/home.htm
mention that the following elements must be looked into: actors in the conflict,
underlying factors, scope of the conflict, previous attempts at settlement, phases and
intensity, balance ofpower and state ofthe relationship.
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