From 14–18 April 2025, the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies, led by Course Director Dr. Hassan Abbas, hosted a week-long seminar in Boston, MA. The program was designed to strengthen the ability of security practitioners to negotiate and mediate effectively in high-stakes environments. Sessions focused on negotiation strategies; cultural and social dynamics; mediation techniques; and case studies in counterterrorism, crisis management, border disputes, and peace-building. The agenda combined theory with practical exercises and simulations, encouraging participants to develop skills in persuasion, trust-building, and cross-border cooperation.

Key themes included:

• Core negotiation strategies and principles
• Communication with terrorists in counterterrorism contexts
• International negotiations and conflict resolution
• Maritime negotiations and international law
• Negotiations and religion in peace processes
• Crisis decision-making and diplomacy

Speakers included:

• Hassan Abbas (NESA Center, Course Director)
• Professor Jessica Stern (Boston University)
• Professor Adil Najam (Boston University; WWF International)
• Milan Todorović (Serbia)
• LTC Luan Keka (Kosovo Police)
• Professor Brianne Todd (NESA Center)
• Mohammad Sagha (Harvard University)
• Professor James Kraska (Harvard Law School / U.S. Naval War College)
• Payam Mohseni (Harvard University)
• LTG (Ret.) Terry Wolff (NESA Center)
• Beena Sarwar (journalist and filmmaker)
• Professor Stephen Flynn (Northeastern University)
• Ambassador John Desrocher (Director, NESA Center)

The seminar brought together officials, practitioners, and scholars from diverse regions. Participants represented Armenia, Australia, Bosnia, Egypt, Georgia, Kosovo, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Serbia, Tanzania, Thailand, and Türkiye.

^{Participants engaged in a negotiation exercise during the seminar.}

The views presented in this article are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.