Reducing International Terrorism: Negotiation Dynamics in the U.S. Cuba Skyjack Crisis

31 Pages Posted: 12 Jul 2006

See all articles by Karen Feste

Karen Feste

University of Denver - International Studies

Abstract

Hijack terrorism was a major national security problem in the United States during the late 1960s; aerial piracy incidents reached an epidemic level. Most events had a common scenario: armed hijackers boarded flights in the US and threatened death to passengers and crew if the aircraft was not diverted to Cuba, where political asylum awaited them in Castro's Communist regime. The problem was resolved through a combination of technology developments to prevent skyjack occurrence and bilateral negotiations between the American and Cuban governments leading to the Anti-Hijacking Accord of 1973. Rates of hijacking fell sharply. What was the role of negotiation in halting terrorism? How did negotiations proceed? Any lessons for ending other terrorist campaigns? This analysis examines the conditions leading parties to negotiate, reach agreement and implement it, drawing on factors identified in other international dispute resolution contexts (mutual hurting stalemate, party willingness, turning points, conflict duration, political pact) plus the meaning attributed to the concept of terrorism by each party. Using terrorist event data, the three phases of hijack acativity and negotiation attempts, Congressional Hearings and US declassified documents, the key finding shows that prospects for resolution depend largely on turning points linked to party shifts in the concept of terrorism, moving the focus from political motivation to criminal act.

Keywords: terrorism, turning points, negotiation

Suggested Citation

Feste, Karen, Reducing International Terrorism: Negotiation Dynamics in the U.S. Cuba Skyjack Crisis. IACM 2006 Meetings Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=913734 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.913734

Karen Feste (Contact Author)

University of Denver - International Studies ( email )

Denver, CO 80208
United States

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