Abstract: In family life, schools, law, the business world and domestic and international affairs, it is all too common for disputes to fester unresolved even when the parties are committed to a negotiated settlement. In this book, members and associates of the Stanford Center on Conflict and Negotiation address the complex issues that protract disputes and turn potentially successful negotiations into conflicts that leave everyone worse off. Drawing on disciplines such as economics, cognitive psychology, statistics and game theory, the book considers the barriers to successful negotiation in such areas as civil litigation, family law, arms control, union/managerial disputes, environmental treaty-making and politics. It examines issues such as whether it pays for parties to a dispute to co-operate and how third-party negotiators can further resolutions.