INI’s theory-building and education target:
- Policymakers. INI researches and develops
ideas to improve the way policymakers deal with the emotional dimension
of conflict. A good example of INI's approach can be found in Beyond
Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate (Fisher and Shapiro, 2005).
A final chapter is contributed by INI senior advisor Jamil Mahuad,
former President of Ecuador. He describes his negotiation with Peruvian
President Alberto Fujimori regarding a long-standing border conflict
between Ecuador and Peru. Mahuad recalls how he intuitively applied
the "core concerns framework" developed by Fisher and Shapiro
to navigate effectively the emotional dimension of his negotiation
with Fujimori. The two presidents successfully negotiated an agreement
that remains intact to the present day. By virtually all academic
and journalist accounts, the positive working relationship built between
Mahuad and Fujimori was the single most important factor in their
successfully negotiating a binding agreement. The "core concerns
framework" provides a useful methodology for building such a
working relationship
- Grassroots Groups. INI researches and develops ideas to improve the way that large groups of people deal with the emotional dimension of conflict. An example of this type of work comes from Daniel Shapiro's development of a conflict management program in Eastern and Central Europe. Funded by the Soros Foundation, Shapiro built this program to help the people of the former Soviet bloc transition from a closed to open society. The program now stretches across 25 countries and has reached one million people. The program offers a framework of skills to deal more effectively with the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intergroup dimensions of conflict.