Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1263IR // #c1263Synthesis

"But when American and Soviet negotiators met at the United Nations in New York to finalize the terms of the resolution, the Soviets were shocked to discover that the United States considered a long list of things ‘offensive’, including cruise missiles, obsolete Il-28 jet light bombers, air-to-surface rockets, guided missiles, motor torpedo boats, associated bombs or warheads, and a variety of communications and support equipment."

— In our words · Source: The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy (Andrew F. Cooper, Jorge Heine & Ramesh Thakur)

[Use when]

You've reached agreement in principle and the central term hasn't been spelled out.

[Why it matters]

Khrushchev agreed to remove the weapons Kennedy considered "offensive" and believed that meant strategic missiles. The undefined word set off a month-long "November crisis." A settlement's key terms need definitions before anyone celebrates.

Filed under situations:When the other side has more leverage

More from The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy

#c1255"…‘negotiation is getting something by giving something, and it is the search for solutions when there are conflicts of interest between…You're pushing for the best possible terms and haven't asked whether the other side will still want to comply… #c1256"Public bluff and bluster intended to induce caution often induced risk-taking." "Khrushchev had no way of knowing whether this statement…You're sending a warning through a public channel and assuming the target will read it the way you meant it. #c1257"He was careful not to describe this as an ultimatum, but as a simple fact." "In framing the problem thus, Robert Kennedy was, in effect,…You need to convey a deadline without triggering the defiance an ultimatum invites.

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