Law professor at Harvard Law School. Founder of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program. Conflict resolution trainer, coach, and consultant. Facilitator, author, editor, and political junkie.

Blog

Here you will find my thoughts on current events, updates about my speaking and teaching, as well as musings on the topics that interest me most.

Negotiation Lessons from the Amazon Deal Blow-Up

Negotiation Lessons from the Amazon Deal Blow-Up

Amazon’s decision to abandon its planned construction of a major campus in Long Island City has revealed deep fissures among New Yorkers. Typical of news coverage and commentary in these highly-polarized times, discussion of the issue has been framed in largely win/lose terms, both from the perspective of politics (progressives versus pragmatics) and the impact on the New York economy and lifestyle (“more jobs is always better” versus “union-busting vulture capitalist billionaires don’t deserve tax breaks”). As with most stories framed in win/lose terms, the narrative unfolds with heroes, villains, victims, and victors.

Robert BordoneMarch 9, 2019Comment

Million-dollar lawsuits are not the way to learn from the Covington Catholic incident

Million-dollar lawsuits are not the way to learn from the Covington Catholic incident

The events surrounding and following the encounter between the Covington Catholic High School boys, Native American elder Nathan Phillips and the Black Hebrew Israelites at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., last month were deeply troubling, no matter where you stand politically.

Now the family of Nicholas Sandmann, the student in the video standing face-to-face with Mr. Phillips, has filed a defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post seeking $250 million in damages for how the newspaper covered the incident, which occurred after the annual March for Life and turned out to be quite different from the narrative initially spread on social media.

Robert BordoneFebruary 27, 2019Comment

Trump, Pelosi, & the Lessons of the $20 Auction

Trump, Pelosi, & the Lessons of the $20 Auction

Most people I know are utterly dumbstruck by the petty politics currently being played between U.S. President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In the throes of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history – and with virtually no end in sight – not only are neither of our national leaders doing anything productive or constructive to find a solution, they’ve also managed to open up another front in the conflict – a high-profile, petty, and pointless power play.

Robert BordoneJanuary 24, 2019Comment

Lemons into Lemonade: Turning the Covington Catholic/Nathan Phillips Encounter to Good

Lemons into Lemonade: Turning the Covington Catholic/Nathan Phillips Encounter to Good

The events surrounding and following the altercation between the high school boys attending Covington Catholic High School & Nathan Phillips, a Native American man are truly regrettable.

In today’s highly-polarized political environment, the altercation became an explosive tinder box for pent-up anger from virtually every side of the political/religious/ideological/racial fence.

From my perspective, nothing about this is edifying (so far). But I do believe something of value can come from it that is more ennobling than, “Check your facts before railing about how horrible someone is.”

Robert BordoneJanuary 21, 2019CovingtonCatholic, NathanPhilips, #dialogue, #beersummit Comment

Thank you, Mary Oliver.

Thank you, Mary Oliver.

Mary Oliver is my favorite poet.

So much of her work speaks to my soul, challenges me, invites me to a deeper sense of self.

Her passing today hit me harder than I expected. A dear friend introduced me to her and the specific poem he invited me to reflect on was Wild Geese. It is my favorite and one of the most challenging of her pieces for me.

Robert BordoneJanuary 17, 2019Mary Oliver, poetry, intentionalityComment

America's Need for State-of-the-Art Conflict Management Education

America's Need for State-of-the-Art Conflict Management Education

Americans fancy themselves as leaders in virtually every sector from science to farming to healthcare. We want – even expect - our movies, our smart phones, our automobiles, our medical innovations, our military – you name it – to be cutting-edge and ‘state of the art.’

And, in most sectors, even if Americans are not ‘leading’ the world, we at least can make a decent showing on the world scene as respectable.

Robert BordoneJanuary 9, 2019Negotiation, Trump, Government Shutdown, Wall, Conflict Management, EducationComment

Use Your Fireplace

Use Your Fireplace

Yesterday, my next door neighbor was murdered in the park next to my house. I walk in this park with my dog Rosie three times a day. It has running paths and fields and a dog park and lots of people of all ages who enjoy it every day.

My neighbor was discovered by a passerby at about 7:00pm. He had suffered blows to the head.

I knew him since I moved to Sherman Street in 2003. Like me, he was one of the four trustees of our small condo association.

Robert BordoneJanuary 4, 2019 Comments

2018 Holiday Letter: Waiting in Hope

2018 Holiday Letter: Waiting in Hope

Four days ago, I had chance to visit the Moria Refugee Camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Images of the camp’s horrendous living conditions are haunting. Thousands of refugees from countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan have taken harrowing and often deadly trips on rickety boats to escape the horrors of war.

Robert BordoneDecember 21, 2018Comment

Negotiating Climate Change: The Perils of 'America First'

Much ink has been spent lamenting President Trump’s decision to withdraw from The Paris Agreement. Political leaders, scientists, environmental policy experts, and even U.S. companies have condemned Trump’s move. More than just promoting ecological and humanitarian disaster, President Trump’s decision hurts the United States from a diplomatic and negotiation perspective.

Robert BordoneNovember 2, 2017Comment

Pope Francis: The Great Negotiator

The recent Vatican synod on the family was not the first time Catholic Church leaders came together to discuss a controversial issue of importance in Church doctrine. But it was the first time Pope Francis oversaw such a meeting – and what happened during the synod revealed a great deal about his negotiation style and attitude towards conflict and disagreement within the Catholic community.

Robert BordoneNovember 21, 2014 Comment

The absent party in NYU’s expansion plan: a dispute systems designer

The past fifteen years have witnessed massive expansion, growth, and re-development throughout New York City – from Williamsburg and Prospect Park in Brooklyn to Times Square and the Meatpacking District in Manhattan. If a court decision on October 14 holds, Greenwich Village will become the latest neighborhood slated for a makeover. Last Tuesday, New York University received the green light to build out 2.45 million square feet of new classroom, office, and residential space in the Village by 2031.

Tuesday’s decision by the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court closes (for now) one chapter in a bitter and contentious dispute between the NYU and its neighbors. But make no mistake. The decision will bring neither peace nor an end to the conflict.

Sara del NidoOctober 17, 2014Comment

Thinking beyond force in the fight against ISIS

Those of us who recall former President George W. Bush declaring war on the “axis of evil” shortly after September 11, 2001, could be forgiven for experiencing deja vu last week when President Obama addressed the United Nations General Assembly. In a rhetorically-powerful speech evoking familiar and resonant values – typical for President Obama – some of his comments also took a distinctly atypical turn: specifically, referring to ISIS, he asserted that “there can be no reasoning – no negotiation – with this brand of evil. The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force.” Not surprisingly, this assertion was quickly turned into a soundbite and rebroadcast in countless media outlets as a condensed summary of the President’s approach to ISIS.

Sara del NidoOctober 3, 2014Comment

The not-so-secret problem with the Afghan election results

During the past week, many voices have raised questions about the negotiated agreement resolving the disputed election in Afghanistan. Although the agreement was lauded in some quarters, others have asked whether the agreement will last or whether the parties are in fact fully invested in the power-sharing arrangement. My question is about why the vote count wasn't announced – and about what that means for the legitimacy of the democratic process in the election.

Sara del NidoSeptember 26, 2014 Comment

Moving beyond a call for "dialogue"

In the tumultuous days since Michael Brown was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, we have witnessed a wide range of reactions, responses, and coping strategies. Some have been physical in the form of protests or even violence; many have been vocal in the form of speeches, articles, or punditry; and more than a handful have called for, among other things, increased dialogue.

Robert BordoneAugust 29, 2014Comment

Why do we need "peace" stories?

Why do we need "peace" stories?

This summer, my heart and mind have been consumed by the surge of violence in and around Gaza. Posts on my Facebook news feed and Twitter account, as well as personal communications from friends and colleagues in the region, have provided a chilling, sad, and yet still incomplete glimpse of what daily life has been like for so many in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. 24 hours into what will hopefully be a lasting cease-fire, these snapshots nevertheless stay with me. The photos and stories of grievous injuries and deaths and the vitriolic rhetoric and debate over the issues at stake have, at times, felt overwhelming. An externality of the war this summer has been increased media coverage of grassroots efforts to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians by a multitude of NGOs who have been working in the region for years, sometimes even decades.

Sara del NidoAugust 27, 2014Comment

St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Let’s Forget About Marching — Instead, Let’s Talk

For a brief moment, there seemed to be a breakthrough in the decades-old stalemate between the organizers of Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and LGBTQ groups striving to march in the annual event. The apparent deal, brokered by Boston’s new mayor, Marty Walsh, purportedly permitted LGBTQ groups to march so long as they avoided wearing clothing or holding signs that refer to sexual orientation.

Read the rest of this Op-Ed by Shane Hunt HLS ’15 and me on WBUR’s Cognoscenti.

Heather KulpJune 17, 2014 Comment

Can we get a political timeout?

Can we get a political timeout?

Reading the newspapers recently, we’ve been struck by how similar the presidential debate commentary has been to commentary about “Monday Night Football.”

After the matchups in this year’s “debate season,” political pundits criticized President Obama’s “prevent defense” and “two-yard runs down the middle.” They talked about how Mitt Romney “spiked the football.”

And football wasn’t the only sports metaphor invoked in the coverage. On Tuesday, “CBS This Morning’s” ticker about the previous night’s debate read “Final Face-Off,” while ABC’s “Good Morning America” heralded the “Final Debate Duel.” And the Los Angeles Times headlined with “Obama reverses roles, comes out swinging at Romney in final debate.”

Robert BordoneOctober 25, 2012Comment

Grading the Negotiation Skills of Congress

Another week, another nasty battle in Congress.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, dared the Senate on Monday to not return to Washington and negotiate with House Republicans over the payroll-tax holiday, unemployment-insurance benefits, and the Medicare “doc fix.” It was a change of heart that began on Saturday, hours after senators left the District, when a faction of House Republicans expressed their dismay with the two-month deal leadership had struck.

Robert BordoneDecember 19, 2011Comment