Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1271IR // #c1271Synthesis

"Waiting for Godot—interminably delaying for the arrival of some mythical moment when the time is perfectly ripe." "Quicksand—bogging an initiative down in questions, objections, or demands for definitions or an inquiry." "Ping-Pong—shunting an issue back and forth between different committees, institutions, or negotiating forums."

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

[Use when]

A proposal is going nowhere through endless questions, studies and referrals.

[Why it matters]

Rebecca Johnson's catalogue of arms-control tactics gives names to blocking moves that rarely say no outright. Once you can name the stall, you can respond to the tactic instead of answering every new question.

Filed under situations:When the other side has more leverageWhen you need to know who really decides

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.

Same situation, different book

#c1383Turn the lights offA partner who depends on your results is treating you as the problem.From Matriarch #c1342Make them earn your voteThe other side links an unrelated favor to your agreement.From Courage Can Save Us #c1332Deliver an ironclad blocYou lead a small group in a close contest and could trade its unity for influence.From Courage Can Save Us #c1555The Two-Tier Value Calculus: Preferred Indifferents and the Invention of DutyHigh-stakes negotiations, entrepreneurial risk-taking, or career crises where you need maximum tactical drive…From Lives of Eminent Philosophers