Noll, a lawyer and professional mediator, goes beyond the news stories to explain why critical negotiations fail, whether they're peace talks or climate change negotiations. The author contends that today's negotiators and mediators are often ill-equipped for their responsibilities--and that they are operating under an 18th century model of European diplomacy. He notes that the primary reason so many negotiations fail is that there is the persistent assumption in diplomatic circles that negotiators will act rationally, but that concrete evidence shows the reality is frequently the opposite. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)