The Daily Insider: Like kidnapping, SA’s political arena is asymmetrical warfare at its best

As you know, we've moved away from republishing emails from BizNews tribesmen (and women) in this newsletter. You'll find the day's most relevant contribution on the website. But there are always exceptions. Like this one from Mark Courtney responding to my reference to the book Negotiating.

Mark shares; "I spent quite a few years negotiating for the lives of people kidnapped in Africa. Response was always done at breakneck speed – to get 'in country'. On the flight to the scene of the kidnapping I would very carefully craft my strategy.

"The strategy would have some non-negotiables with a whole lot of negotiable variables. Kidnapping, by its nature, is asymmetrical warfare at its best. I can not imagine that South Africa's political arena is very different."

Indeed. But like negotiating a kidnapping, the more asymmetrical the mindsets of participants, the greater the danger. In the end, rational alignments will prevail. We hope.

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