On negotiation stories on the path to peace with Joshua Weiss

In this episode of the Podcast on Negotiation On Negotiation Stories on the Path to Peace, we speak with Joshua Weiss about the human stories that shape negotiation, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. Josh reflects on his own path into the field, what first drew him to negotiation and mediation, and how his work has evolved through scholarship, practice, and teaching.
We also revisit his recent work on failure in negotiation, exploring what failure can teach us and why it remains such an important and often overlooked part of learning. From there, the conversation turns to the power of stories: why they matter so deeply in negotiation, what they reveal that courses and workshops alone sometimes cannot, and how personal experience can open new ways of understanding conflict, connection, and change.
A major focus of the episode is Josh’s new project, a community-based database of negotiation stories. He shares what inspired the initiative, how he hopes people will use it, and what makes it different from more traditional negotiation clearinghouses such as those at PON and DRRC. We also explore the kinds of stories that stay with us and what makes a negotiation story especially meaningful.
In the second part of the episode, we turn to the Abraham Path Initiative. Josh introduces the vision behind this work and reflects on what drew him personally to it. Together, we discuss how encounter across cultures and communities can create new possibilities for understanding and peacebuilding, and how movement, listening, and shared human experience can become part of a larger path toward peace.
Throughout the episode, we explore Josh’s personal journey into negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution, the lessons from his work on failure in negotiation, the role of stories in negotiation and peacebuilding, and the promise of his new database of negotiation stories from the community. We also discuss how this project differs from traditional negotiation case collections, the vision and significance of the Abraham Path Initiative, the way encounter across cultures can open space for peace, and the deeper connection between stories, understanding, and hope.