The essays in this collection are informed by first-hand experience of negotiating tables in places that have become by-words for misunderstanding. More than one author makes the point that successful dialogue requires us to engage with those who are considered beyond the pale. It is the hard conversations, not the easy ones, that in the end make the difference. The writers also offer the kind of fascinating detail that only comes from direct experience – including the observation that success or failure in dialogue can come down to something as apparently minor as the kind of hotel in which your talks take place. That’s a strange but all-too-human realisation – but then this is a collection of essays about being human, and trying to be better humans, under some of the most demanding circumstances imaginable.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and not of the British Council or Global Strategy Forum, unless otherwise stated.