Dumbfounding

During the 2-3 year period when we were working through the deal underpinning the sale of our company, I was exposed on numerous occasions to the basic pattern of 'hard-nosed' American negotiation, especially as epitomised by NYC lawyers. 

For almost anyone who has grown up within a different culture, Brits and Scandinavians in particular, these machinations are often profoundly shocking. 

No obvious attempt is ever made to establish mutual goodwill or indeed an opening position not far from that which either side might be content to settle on. Instead, the first move is always almost ludicrously extreme, morally highly suspect, and often enough, seemingly self-defeating to boot. 

I see rather obvious signs of this in Trump's administration and it is clear that many outside observers are not quite getting how this works. 

There's a pattern emerging of a spectacular gnashing of teeth whenever he indicates an approach to a possible 'deal' — even prior to any formal discourse — and then a form of semi-relieved gloating when he later appears to cave in. 

But this is how it always goes. He is not some sort of outlier in this respect, at least not within the environment he has always operated in. 

Traditional politics have tended to be more like a marketplace than a Manhattan lawyers’ office. But Trump, Netanyahu and others are adopting — with mixed success so far — an alternative strategy which always begins with an attempt to dumbfound the opposition with its basic unreasonableness.

Resisting it is going to have to involve a bit more than acting dumbfounded.