ABSTRACT
Foreign aid negotiations are characterized by a high degree of asymmetry. In 1995, immediately following the civil war and genocide, net official development assistance as a percentage of gross national income to Rwanda was 94.9%. This chapter makes the case that narratives have been instrumental in enabling the current Rwandan leadership to push back against power asymmetries with international donors. It argues that the Rwandan leadership uses a country-specific narrative of guilt and redemption combined with a broader narrative of agency and ownership in international development to increase perceptions power. The chapter focuses on foreign aid negotiations, explaining what these negotiations look like and how they differ from other types of international negotiations. It emphasizes that a defining feature of aid negotiations is asymmetrical power relations. The chapter focuses on how post-genocide Rwanda uses narratives to increase perceptions of power in their negotiations with international donors.
