essay fragment - Dandelions series by Oana Maroti

Negotiation is not as free as the media shows.
There are specific rules in intercultural communication.

Like in a football game, there are rules and someone is arbitrating the meeting. That someone is a neutral person, a mediator who will coordinate the information exchange. Before even speaking, the interlocutors are made aware of the communication rules. If one starts offending the other, the laws of communication apply and the negotiation stops. We don´t get to the part where the bully dominates the meeting. The offender is put in the corner, sanctioned, and loses by default.

This rule applies to any type of interpersonal communication and implies equality in the verbal interchange, otherwise, we would not be able to understand each other.

We see the rules broken too often lately and even if it seems that a negotiation is going on, the way communication in international politics is presented is surely wrong. A person from the street will have to behave to have a meeting or at least to accede to a conversation, the same applies to rich people, army people, or even presidents.

Any identity meeting another, in a negotiation situation, whether individuals or groups are subjected to the same rules, stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each time we jump into the world, as human identity, we subject ourselves to these rules, with no exception.

When in an international context, facing worldwide peace vs. conflict the interaction is a delicate one, as so many lives depend on communication. Each word counts around peace, ecology, and child development. Abusive language, uneducated behavior, and physical contact are not on the menu in public communication. Why do we see it on television?