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Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict
   


Introduction: The decision of who to invite or allow at the negotiating table is important in determing the success of any agreement that is reached. Peter Coleman of Columbia University explains that options and benefits and problems of each.


This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).

Who Should be at the Table?
Peter Coleman
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Director of the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia
Interviewed by
Julian Portilla
2003

One example is degree of inclusivity of the parties. Some people that work in these areas believe that you've got to get as many of the stakeholders and the members of their groups to the table, engaging together as possible. Others say, it's not possible, it's not feasible, you need to work with key influencers, three influential is what Herb Kelman calls them, that level of people under First Track, who have influence in the communities, who you can transform and can become agents for a change. That decision about being exclusive or inclusive with a group is a huge decision and it has impact on the system. Because some would say, working with a exclusive group creates **spoilers, creates people who are excluded with the process and therefore become bent on sabotaging it.

 
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. -- Mark Twain

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