Diplomacy Begins When Words Stop Working
Diplomacy Begins When Words Stop Working In many parts of the world, it is taught that negotiation is a game of words. Who constructs the stronger argument, who articulates their position more clearly, who says “yes” or “no” with greater confidence. Yet there are regions — Africa, the Arab world, parts of the Caucasus — where words are only the surface. The real process begins when conversation slows down, or stops altogether. At first, this silence is often misread as hesitation or uncertainty. In reality, it is a test. No one is asking what you think. They are watching how you behave: how you endure silence, how you wait, how you resist the urge to fill space with unnecessary explanations. In these cultures, silence is not emptiness. It is a language. Those who cannot remain silent are rarely trusted. Those who over-explain weaken their position. Those who speak of agreements at the first meeting reveal that they do not yet understand the game. Trust here is not built through logic. ...