How Geopolitics Collide with Negotiation Teaching

Abstract: We propose to explore how law schools, business schools, and public policy programs must adapt negotiation teaching to an era of geopolitical instability and hybrid warfare. Negotiation courses have traditionally focused on disputes arising in relatively stable institutional and political contexts, yet current geopolitical realities challenge these assumptions. Hybrid warfare—blending cyber operations, disinformation, economic coercion, lawfare, and the manipulation of legal and regulatory systems—now routinely targets private organizations, public institutions, and democratic processes. Often, lawyers, business and policy professionals are first responders, managing crises, coordinating across sectors, and advising clients under conditions of uncertainty, ambiguity, and strategic deception. They also need to anticipate and plan against future threats.

This roundtable brings together negotiation and conflict management scholars actively engaged in teaching and researching hybrid warfare and related forms of waging geopolitical conflicts. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, recent publications, and classroom experience, the session explores how negotiation pedagogy must evolve to prepare students to deploy conflict management tools in complex, evolving, multi-actor environments. Panelists will discuss concrete teaching strategies used in law, business, and policy programs, including scenario-based learning, systems thinking, multi-party negotiation, and whole-of-society approaches to conflict management.

The roundtable will be highly interactive, inviting participants to reflect on how geopolitical conflict reshapes core negotiation concepts such as cooperation, BATNA, trust, ethics, and problem-solving, and to share teaching approaches that prepare students for negotiation in geopolitically contested environments.

Keywords: Negotiation, Negotiation pedagogy, Conflict Management