Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1272IR // #c1272Synthesis

"Slipstreaming—concealing preferences behind the positions of another state or delegation." "Fronting—a form of collaborative slipstreaming, in which one delegation adopts a position that is stronger than its own interests would require, enabling others to benefit by coasting in its wake."

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

[Use when]

One party is carrying a tough position alone in a group negotiation and the others are quiet.

[Why it matters]

In multiparty talks the loudest hardliner isn't always the only one who wants the hard line. Others may let a front-runner carry the cost of the position they quietly share. Reading who's coasting tells you where the real opposition sits.

Filed under situations:When the other side has more leverageWhen a rival’s move changes your game

More from The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy

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Same situation, different book

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