U.S. Army War College
International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE)
Exercise Summary. The International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE) is a very popular negotiation exercise conducted by the U.S. Army War College at some of the top graduate schools and public policy organizations in the nation. The ISCNE is set some years in the future against the backdrop of a United Nations Summit. The summit has been called to attempt to break an actual decades-old frozen conflict. Through exercise, participants role-play members of a diplomatic mission on one of negotiating teams invited to the summit. The teams are charged by their governments with negotiating a solution advantageous to their national interests. Each team is coached and assisted by a mentor – a member of the university faculty or invited regional subject matter expert.
Exercise Purpose. The ISCNE is a component of the Army War College's outreach program. Through this program, the Army War College builds long-term partnerships with top tier international security institutions which share the same educational, enrichment and outreach objectives and who focus on developing strategic leaders and decision makers. The ISCNE provides participants with an experiential learning opportunity and exposes them to the process of international strategic negotiations and team dynamics. Concomitant objectives include practical experience in regional situation analysis, negotiation techniques, strategic thinking, leadership, planning and evaluation, decision making, team building and time management techniques.
Exercise Background. The ISCNE began eleven years ago in response to a request from the Army War College Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) at Georgetown University. The Fellow asked The Army War College for assistance in crafting a negotiation exercise. The result was the ISCNE.