Costs of Conversation - (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) by Oriana Skylar Mastro Consulting LLC (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Explains the conditions under which leaders are willing to talk to their enemies during a war and why they sometimes refuse, using case studies from Vietnam, China, Korea, and India"--

Book Synopsis

After a war breaks out, what factors influence the warring parties' decisions about whether to talk to their enemy, and when may their position on wartime diplomacy change? How do we get from only fighting to also talking?

In The Costs of Conversation, Oriana Skylar Mastro argues that states are primarily concerned with the strategic costs of conversation, and these costs need to be low before combatants are willing to engage in direct talks with their enemy. Specifically, Mastro writes, leaders look to two factors when determining the probable strategic costs of demonstrating a willingness to talk: the likelihood the enemy will interpret openness to diplomacy as a sign of weakness, and how the enemy may change its strategy in response to such an interpretation. Only if a state thinks it has demonstrated adequate strength and resiliency to avoid the inference of weakness, and believes that its enemy has limited capacity to escalate or intensify the war, will it be open to talking with the enemy.

Through four primary case studies--North Vietnamese diplomatic decisions during the Vietnam War, those of China in the Korean War and Sino-Indian War, and Indian diplomatic decision making in the latter conflict--The Costs of Conversation demonstrates that the costly conversations thesis best explains the timing and nature of countries' approach to wartime talks, and therefore when peace talks begin. As a result, Mastro's findings have significant theoretical and practical implications for war duration and termination, as well as for military strategy, diplomacy, and mediation.

Review Quotes

The Costs of Conversation makes two scholarly contributions to the field. First, the book paves a new path in the study of negotiation in wartime. Second, this book skillfully integrates both theoretical rigor and empirical richness. The book should interest both scholars and policy makers, who intend to make sense of how states behave in wartime as well as how to end wars diplomatically.

-- "Journal of Chinese Political Science"

Brilliant in its methodological approach and replete with inspirational analysis, The Costs of Conversation deserves praise for its extensive research using both primary and secondary sources. Mastro's book contains detailed overviews of the general historical and political context, and her analytical framework and conclusions, which are argued succinctly and persuasively throughout, should be taken seriously by both scholars working in the field and by leaders.

-- "Pacific Affairs"

In this welcome contribution to the study of wartime diplomacy, Mastro shows why it can be so hard for belligerents to find a diplomatic route out of conflict.

-- "Foreign Affairs"

Mastro's suggestions are quite provocative. But they also reflect a great deal of expertise and thought, and one hopes they will be taken seriously.

-- "The China Quarterly"

About the Author

Oriana Skylar Mastro is Assistant Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University and an officer in the US Air Force Reserve. You can follow her on X @osmastro or on her website at orianaskylarmastro.com.