Total Diplomacy

The Art of Always Being Right

Ehsan Honary — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:33:00 GMT

Arthur Schopenhauer, (2005) The art of always being right, Gibson Square Books.

If you want to know how Jeremy Paxman (Newsnight) manages to interview prime minsters and presidents so brilliantly, this is the book to read. The book consist of a number of tips on what to say and how to say it to be ahead of the political game. His advice is not always based on morality, but that's exactly why you need to know about it since someone else might do it to you.

You will find quite a few useful tips for Risk. Have you ever felt hopeless when another player keeps talking against you and drums up support for your eliminations. Did you ever wondered what to say to stop that player from talking. Or, did you always wonder what is the best way to lead someone into a logical trap, one that they cannot get out easily. This book has it all.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

Ehsan Honary — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:33:00 GMT

William .L. Shirer, (1960) The rise and fall of the third Reich, Arrow Books

This is great history book on the events leading to World War II. What makes it different from other history books is that it attempts to capture the reasons behind the decision made by key players as opposed to just reporting history as it took place. They used it all; bluffing, deceit, back-stabbing, outright aggression, use of fear against anyone who is against you. Propaganda was practically invented by the Nazi and there is a lot to learn from history. If you see how easily people have been manipulated in the past, you may come to appreciate the dangers facing us today and how to avoid it.

You can easily relate many of the real-world events in this book to Risk situations and get to learn more in the process. This is, after all, a book about diplomacy. See how the world leader did it themselves and learn from them.

Awaken the Giant Within

Ehsan Honary — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:29:00 GMT

Anthony Robins, (1992) Awaken the Giant Within

Anthony Robins in this book attempts to show us how powerful we can be if we follow a certain number of simple rules. The book covers a great deal of techniques in NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming). His books in general have helped a great deal of people and there must be something good about the books that they have become so popular.

Confidence in your belief is always essential if you want to be in control of a situation. When it comes to Risk, lack of confidence seems to be the number one issue with new and even more experienced players. After all, the name of the game is Risk and one needs to take risk to get anywhere. Robins shows us that taking risk is a matter of calculation and knowing what your goals are. Most of the time people know what they want, but they don’t know how to get it. Worst still, they know that they want to get rich, but don’t really ask themselves everyday if what they are doing is getting them there. This book can help you in life and also to get to play a better Risk game!

Negotiation: The Art of Getting What You Want

Ehsan Honary — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:29:00 GMT

Michael Schatzki, (1981) Negotiation: The Art of Getting What You Want

In this book, you will learn how to negotiate successfully. The negotiation activity is abstracted into ranged dealing. Each side sets up a MSP (Maximum Supportable Position) and LAS (Least Acceptable Settelment). The negotiation game is to guess your opponents LAS and MSP and make sure that your opponent will not find out your. Armed with these two values, you should be able to get a better deal. A lost of teh book is dedicated to this deceptive behaviour. How to hide your true LAS? What to do to make sure that your opponent will choose a higher LAS? What happens in the event of a deadlock? This book provides a number of practical examples from negotiating at work, over a house or when buying a car. It is well written and it certainly makes you rethink your approach in negotiations. One can use the same technique in a negotiation carried over a Risk game. How to approach the other side to make a deal? How not to take a no for an answer? Highly recommended.

The Mind Gym: Wake Your Mind Up

Ehsan Honary — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:25:00 GMT

Mind Gym Team, (2005) The Mind Gym: Wake Your Mind Up. Time Warner Books.

This is a self-help book designed to give you a boost in life. It is very well thought out. The book is stylish in terms of delivery of the material and is always engaging. You will learn how to influence others by following a set of simple techniques. What happens when you give up your dream and why? You will learn how not to feel like an outsider in a conversation. Perhaps, the most important is to know how to control the flow of conversations. Emotionally charged sentences that sound good may only get you ahead in the short term. By considering the long term goal, you can be much more effective in choosing the right words and eventually get to your goal.

The techniques presented in this book can help you to be more effective when dealing in negotiations in Risk.

Never Be Lied to Again: How to Get the Truth In 5 Minutes Or Less In Any Conversation Or Situation

Ehsan Honary — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:24:00 GMT

Lieberman, D.J., (1998) Never Be Lied to Again: How to Get the Truth In 5 Minutes Or Less In Any Conversation Or Situation. St. Martin's Press.

You can learn a great deal on deception and lies in this book. There has been many books that talk about body language of a liar and this book also includes this material as a matter of principle. However, what makes this book stand out is that it looks at confession and lies as a game of words. Dr. Lieberman, a psychologist, provides a great number of tips on what to say to get the right reaction.

Usually, just a few words said in the right way can lead you to get what you want. For example: “I hate to do this but you leave me no choice …” or better “You know what I can do, and I'll do it. If you don't want to tell me now, don't. I'll just do what I have to do…” If he focuses a lot to know what you want to do, then he is probably guilty.

As another example, if someone explains a situation and you respond with “and …”, it is as if you are demanding a conclusion. It feels as if you are not convinced and you expect more information. Saying a simple word will get you a lot more information than you would have imagined otherwise.

There are many examples such as these in the book. These are directly applicable to playing Risk. In fact, the tips are still useful even if you play online. Knowing what to type in the chatbox is critical these days. There are numerous examples of bullying taking place online. If you know what to say and when to say it (or type it for that matter) you will have an edge over others. You will know how not get angry, and simultaneously know how to wind someone up. After all, an angry person will make irrational decisions which may lead him to defeat! Exactly what you want in a game.

48 Laws of Power

Ehsan Honary — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:13:00 GMT

Robert Greene, (2000) 48 Laws of Power, Profile Books.

This is pretty much a follow up to Machiavelli's work, albeit cast and made for our modern era. Greene provides 48 laws that one must follow to become powerful. Morality is not treated as a must have quality, hence some of the laws may sound amoral. Though as with Machiavelli's work, what matters is power and all else is just part of the game. Greene provides a great deal of examples from history to support his laws and they are fascinating and thought provoking to read. As the saying is, learn it from the pros.

A few examples are:

"Pose as a friend, Work as a spy"

"Do not build fortresses to protect yourself, isolation is dangerous"

"Control the options: Get others to play with the cards you deal"

"Do not go past the mark you aimed for, in victory learn when to stop"

Prince

Ehsan Honary — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 20:12:00 GMT

Nicolo Machiavelli, (1513) The Prince

When it comes to Risk and the use of diplomacy, this is perhaps the best book there is after The Art of War. By reading this book, at least you will know what it means if someone is labelled as Machiavellian. The other benefit is that you can also find out who is a Machiavellian. Machiavelli describes what a prince must do to hold to power and how to extend it. Machiavelli is sometimes presented as amoral. For example, he suggests that:

“It is better to break promises if keeping them would be against one’s interests.”

It is better to view Machiavelli in a different way. He is only trying to tell us what strategies work better when humans are competing for power. It is only a game. Seen that way, morality has got no place in the decision making process of a prince. Of course, by modern standards, we expect a leader to be moral, merciful and fair. Though, as reality shows, we are far from it.

The goal is to win, and Machiavelli suggests that if you don’t follow the simple principles he puts forward, you will be at the mercy of those who will follow it. As a minimum, you need to know if someone is applying Machiavellian tactics on you and if he does, how you would respond to it.