PIN – Research Network on International Negotiations and GIGA Joined Forces

Since the beginning of this year, the GIGA hosts the secretariat of the PIN network at its headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. The Institute contributes its own expertise and research infrastructure to promote the research on international negotiation and conflict resolution advanced by this international group of scholars. GIGA President Professor Amrita Narlikar, an expert on international negotiations herself, is a member of the steering committee of PIN.

On 2 and 3 July, PIN held its first conference at the GIGA. The PIN 2018 Conference “New Diplomacy for New Types of Conflict” engaged the network members in two days of stimulating presentations and debate about the changing nature of conflicts and the challenges of diplomacy. The topics covered in the conference ranged from the conflicts in the MENA region, conflict narratives and cyber warfare to peacebuilding, negotiation mandates and regional diplomacy. Driven by GIGA’s continuous pursuit of bridging the divide between academia and policy, a good number of senior diplomats from all over the world were invited to productively include the practitioner’s perspective. Among others, former Assistant Secretary-General to the United Nations Alvaro de Soto and former Dutch Ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, Germany, and Indonesia Nikolaos van Dam enriched the conference with their comments. The results of this rewarding exchange are planned to be published in a forthcoming PIN book project.

Professor William Zartman, one of PIN’s founding members, has welcomed the input the GIGA brings to the network in the context of the conference: “We are extremely happy to begin our association with GIGA with this workshop. […] The topic and the GIGA’s interest have pushed us to innovate our workshop format and invite not only paper givers but also practitioners to successfully bridge the gap that exists between analysts and policy makers.” Markus Kirchschlager, research fellow and doctoral student at the GIGA, coordinates the secretariat of PIN. The first PIN product published under the roof of the GIGA, is the 45th edition of PIN Points.

PIN

The Processes of International Negotiation (PIN) network is a non-profit group of scholars and practitioners that encourages and organises research on a broad spectrum of topics related to international negotiation seen as a process. Its objectives include the dissemination of new knowledge about negotiation as widely as possible, and fostering collaboration between scholars and practitioners interested in the subject, for the purpose of improving analysis and practice of negotiation worldwide.