THE NEGOTIATION OF EXECUTIVE AGREEMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION: IS THE INTEREST-BASED METHOD A WORKABLE MODEL?

Much of the recent literature on negotiation has concerned environmental negotiations. The environmental negotiations literature often discusses the negotiation of domestic environmental issues or the negotiation of multilateral/global environmental conventions. However, the literature on bilateral negotiations dealing with environmental issues, especially as it is related to mutual defense arrangements is scarcer. This thesis deals with this latter type of negotiations. This thesis explores whether interest-based negotiation techniques can be effectively used in resolving the environmental issues that are associated with base closures. It will do so by first describing and responding to some of the criticisms of the fundamental concepts of the interest-based negotiation method. Having described the method, this thesis then explores whether the principles of interest-based negotiation can be used to effectively resolve the issues given their complicated cultural, political, and environmental aspects