The bilateral summit between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who had already sparked, as was to be expected, a laugh of comments on how the summit could have been, on who had won or lost, on the immediate consequences on the progress of the war underway since three and a half years, had not yet finished the bilateral summit. A certain disappointment has been felt in many comments by geopolitical analysts, perhaps hoping for a meeting, if not decisive, at least bearer of a ceased the fire.
Diplomacy and negotiation
Yet, if some of these criticisms can be considered acceptable if coming from the belly of ordinary people, a little more careful in the judgments would be requested by those who analyze conflicts by profession. These probably forget, or ignore, that a negotiation is based, especially when there is a relationship of trust between the parties that President Biden had reduced to the minimum terms between insults and threats, on very delicate mediation processes and which lead to face disputes through mechanisms and strategies well known to the real diplomacy experts. Also because if we were to reduce the fate of the world only to alleged humoral whims of the whips of the White House, then a wrong one would be made to the intelligence of the entire mankind.
The role of language
Language is one of the main tools to facilitate conflict resolution, because it allows you to overcome personal dislikes and misunderstandings, to interpret the perceptions and needs of the parties and facilitate a resolution through dialogue. In this sense, three primary forms of language are distinguished: written; non -verbal; Oral. In the case of Anchorage we analyze the aspect that interests us most, the non -verbal language adopted by Donald Trump.
Non -verbal language includes gestures, facial expressions, posture, visual contact and distances, which can provide unique information on emotions, real intentions and hidden reactions, beyond the words said. When President Trump meets the Tsar and then stops waiting for him with a large smile, when a red carpet is unrolled as if it is convenient for a head of state, when he greets him amicably, when the distances are canceled by inviting him aboard the presidential limousine, the American president is not undergoing a vassaling towards the Russian, as ironically and superficially written, but he is saying to Putin that Biden is over, together with the whole American democrat apparatus, and that he can trust him to start a shared journey albeit an irritation of obstacles, because he respects him in terms of the head of a great country, however one wants to think of Russia as a nation.
Trump, unlike Biden and some European politicians, adopts with Putin a language called non -violent communication (NVC) developed by the American psychologist Marshall Rosenberg, and which is defined as: “an approach that promotes honest expression and empathic listening, with the aim of creating authentic human ties and resolving conflicts in a peaceful way”. Obviously, at the antipodes of a non -violent communication there is the one considered violent, in turn characterized: “by the use of an aggressive language, including threats, insults, derogatory and disqualifications labels, and tends to extend conflicts, to erode trust and damage relationships”.
The beginning of a path
Obviously this is only the beginning of a path, which can certainly not find its solution only with an assertive and reconciliatory approach, but represents the first fundamental step to mend human relationships, which are literally indispensable for the resolution of conflicts between sovereign states. The future will tell us if what is sown by Trump has been useful, contributing to the peace process between Russia and Ukraine, or if behind the smiles and handshakes will prevail the selfishness and the will to continue a conflict now meaningless.
Sergio De Santis
Col. Ris. Guardia di Finanza
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