The Power of Talking About It

• By Zack Hale
• Roll Call Staff
• March 2, 2010, Midnight

War, more than any other historic phenomena, has shaped the contours of the modern world. Over the past few centuries, armed hostilities between nations have forced leaders to redraw borders, forfeit their sovereignty and take hundreds of millions of lives in the process. But what about the wars that were averted or mitigated through diplomacy — the many conflicts that were resolved through shrewd negotiation instead of military force? “Words, as much as weapons, shape history,” posits author Fredrik Stanton in his new book, “Great Negotiations: Agreements That Changed the Modern World,” which chronicles eight of the most epic parleys ever to have transpired.