Comparison
It is part of the human condition to evaluate by comparison. We are tall or short, fat or thin, young or old, rich or poor, only in comparison with others. Absolute analysis of these descriptors doesn’t work. The tallest man in the world is not tall compared to the Empire State Building, only in comparison with his fellow human beings. And, comfortingly, I am not the oldest, fattest, or most unfit person I know, so there is hope for me yet.
Negotiators think the same way. Deals and settlements are evaluated by comparison with others; there is no absolute measurement. One useful technique for negotiators is ‘Russian Front’ proposal making. This describes the delivery of a set piece comparison, where one of the options offered is horrendous compared to the other; as a result the more benign proposal looks much more attractive than maybe it would if it was offered in isolation. The name comes from World War 2; German soldiers were so afraid of being sent to the Russian Front that deployment instead to be shot at by the Allies on the Normandy Beaches in 1944 looked positively attractive.
We evaluate our negotiating partners in the same way. A ‘difficult’ customer is only judged so by comparison with others, and seems to become much less troublesome if an even more difficult customer comes on the scene.
For some considerable time, under the radar, Israeli and Palestinian West Bank Fattah politicians (the Fattah political grouping has the majority support in the West Bank) have made great strides to improve economic conditions there, much to the particular credit of Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad. The West Bank is enjoying GDP growth of about 12% per annum, Ramallah has become a town of coffee bars and restaurants, and the first West Bank Shopping Mall opened in Jenin in 2010. Manufactu