The International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE)

The International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE) is an annual event jointly facilitated by the Executive MIS program and the Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College.

The exercise is offered as spring course, JSIS 549: Crisis Negotiation, and is open to graduate and undergraduate students, as well as non-matriculated students (individuals not currently seeking a degree). Each year, the EMIS program and the U.S. Army War College team select a real-world crisis scenario that students role-play, holding strategic negotiations over an intense two-day period. Participants act as members of diplomatic teams charged by their governments with negotiating a solution advantageous to their national interests.

A senior government official is brought in to mediate the discussions, and each team is coached and assisted by a high-level mentor — typically a UW faculty member or a regional subject matter expert drawn from the business, government or military sector. In advance of the exercise, students receive background briefings from experts on the conflict and participate in workshops designed to refine their negotiation and crisis decision-making proficiency.

ISCNE provides students with an opportunity to learn and apply skills in regional situation analysis, negotiation techniques, strategic thinking, leadership, planning and evaluation, crisis management and decision-making, team-building and time management.