ABSTRACT

This chapter addresses two of the major negotiations associated with the wars in the Balkans: the Dayton Agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia, and the Rambouillet talks, the failure of which led directly to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombing of Yugoslavia. It explores why was Dayton successful at achieving its goal of resolving a conflict and Rambouillet not successful at avoiding or preventing one, considering the fact that both, on the surface at least, involved many of the same actors and basic issues. It is self-evident that "conflict resolution" or "conflict termination" takes place only after a conflict has started and the goal of the negotiation is to bring the conflict to an end. The domestic politics of all participants must be taken into account as well, since that, too, can influence the outcome of a negotiation or even whether the negotiation will be concluded successfully.