Two Level Games and International Diplomacy

TL;DR

Two level games in international negotiation refer to the simultaneous negotiations between countries at both the international and domestic levels, which can impact the success of reaching agreements.

Transcript

Hey everyone. Noah Zerbe here. Welcome back. This  is one of a series of videos looking at topics   in foreign policy. In this video we're going  to examine the challenges posed by two level   games in international negotiation. That concept  was formally articulated by Robert Putnam in his   classic article "Diplomacy and Domestic Politics:  The L... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎚️ Two level games connect the domestic and international levels of analysis, providing insight into the decision-making process in foreign policy.
• 😉 Tactical insights can be gained by understanding the win sets of both parties involved in negotiations.
• 😉 Uncertainty over the size of win sets can lead to more aggressive negotiating postures but can also result in failure after reaching an agreement.
• 🌍 Domestic interests and their preferences can create barriers to successfully concluding international agreements.
• 🥺 The inability to find outcomes that satisfy both international partners and domestic interests frequently leads to negotiation failures.
• 😫 The differences between the agreement set and win set can explain why some international agreements are not ratified domestically.
• 😉 Knowledge of the win set can help negotiators limit concessions they offer or push for greater concessions from the other party. However, this strategy comes with risks.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is a two level game in international negotiation?

A two level game refers to the simultaneous negotiations between countries at both the international and domestic levels. Domestic interests can influence a country's negotiating position.

Q: How do domestic actors shape international negotiations?

Domestic actors, such as the national legislature, bureaucratic interests, and business and labor groups, engage in political contests to shape and influence policy outcomes and negotiations.

Q: What is the importance of finding overlap between the agreement set and the win set?

An agreement can only be successful if there is an overlap between the international agreement set and the domestic win set. If there is no overlap, negotiations are likely to fail due to the inability to gain domestic approval.

Q: How do two level games impact negotiations?

Two level games have a significant impact on negotiations. Negotiators often spend as much time negotiating with domestic constituents as they do with foreign counterparts. Understanding the domestic win set can inform negotiating strategies and concessions.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Two level games involve negotiating at both the international and domestic levels simultaneously.

• Domestic actors, such as legislators, bureaucratic interests, and labor/business groups, shape a country's negotiating position.

• An agreement can only be successful if there is an overlap between the international agreement set and the domestic win set.