This chapter argues that although the poverty narrative has been a source of dramatic empowerment for those in desperate need, the effectiveness of this instrument has also become clear to others. It provides illustrations of the increasingly indiscriminate overuse and deliberate misuse of poverty narratives by the less rich and the more rich, respectively. Through four cases focusing on the misuse of this narrative in trade negotiations, and further examples in multiple areas of bargaining, I make a sombre central point. The poverty narrative, because of its many demonstrated wins, has been appropriated and hijacked by multiple players. As more and more states and people learn to effectively play the role of the powerless victim, the poverty narrative is attracting a major backlash. There is a tragic irony to this: as the (still relatively newly discovered) power of the powerless loses credibility through overuse and misuse, the biggest losses accrue to the neediest and the poorest. The potential damage to the international system of rules is also severe.

There was a case where two successful businessmen formed a joint venture in the social services sector – one brought marketing expertise, the other industry experience and they contributed equally with regard to finance. They both accepted that there would be a two-year period of establishing the new venture but at the end of that period it was clear that the partnership was not working and the ‘irreconcilable differences’ between them over who had ultimate control were impacting on the administration of the company. Both knew the company had real prospects but after a number of meetings to resolve their differences, they saw that there were now only two options: to wind the business up or for one party to buy the other out. They sat face to face in a private lounge in a hotel – deadlocked.

If negotiators work their way through the tasks that we have explored in Chapters 5–7, then they should be confident about managing the process effectively and so achieve a good outcome. However, negotiations are both messy and complex, so they doesn’t always go according to plan. As we saw in Chapter 8, negotiations can get stuck or reach a deadlock. That chapter suggested some ways to handle a deadlock effectively and move the negotiations on towards an outcome. Another way to overcome a deadlock is to involve a mediator. It is unlikely that the reader will become a mediator, but a negotiator should nevertheless understand the nature and effectiveness of the mediation process. Therefore, this chapter examines the nature of the mediation process and the role of the mediator in helping the parties resolve their differences. The parallels between mediation and negotiation should become obvious so negotiators can improve their own skills by learning from the approach taken by good mediators.