Negotiating Information under Conditions of High Asymmetry: An Exploration into the Domain of Interrogation

Abstract

The interrogation situation is a particularly asymmetric type of negotiation where the interrogated persons are prisoners and/or terrorists, having nothing more to lose because they know that their fate is already sealed. This type of relationship strictly responds to the definition of what is a negotiation, a process involving two or more parties to achieve a transaction. The objective of this article is to highlight the logic and techniques available to interrogators so that they succeed in establishing a form of exchange allowing them to gather strategic information, in particular when the parties to the conflict are engaged in open warfare. Five types of methods are distinguished and their effectiveness assessed: emotionally focused interrogation, morally based interrogation, manipulation, hard questioning, and extended object interrogation. Cases and examples are provided as illustrations.