Aggressive Negotiations: Difference between revisions

 

See Also: [[I Surrender, Suckers]], [[Gunboat Diplomacy]].

{{examples}}

* In ''[[Code Geass]]'', {{spoiler|Lelouch pulls one of these at the UFN meeting.}}

** {{spoiler|And then [[Power Incontinence|unintentionally with Euphemia]].}}

* {{spoiler|Danzo}} was going to do this in ''[[Naruto]]'', but was interrupted by {{spoiler|Sasuke busting in.}}

 

* The title characters in the ''[[Knights of the Dinner Table]]'' have had their [[PC]]s do this at least once, while parleying with some orcs. Both Sara and B.A. Felton were ''not'' pleased by this.

* In the ''[[Sinister Dexter]]'' story "The Why-Shaped Cut", leaders of the global criminal syndicates meet in [[Truce Zone|The Reef]] to discuss how to divide up [[Mega City|Downlode]] after the war between Senor Apellido and The Mover ends. When John Crash discovers that Carrie Hosanna is planning on betraying the rest of them and seizing Downloder for the Mangapore [[Yakuza]], he starts firing, and all Hell breaks loose.

 

== Films -- Live Action ==

* In the movie ''[[300]]'', in the famous [[Memetic Mutation|This is Sparta]] scene, Leonidas is essentially doing this. The Athenians reportedly did it as well. Everybody now:

{{quote|'''Messenger:''' This is blasphemy! This is madness!

'''President:''' [[Deadpan Snarker|I wonder.]] (''glares at General Munro, who looks uncomfortable'') }}

* Inferred to have happened in ''[[Gladiator]]'', as the Roman negotiator is returned headless by the barbarians.

* In ''[[The Phantom Menace]]'', the Trade Federation does this to the Jedi. They escape, however.

{{quote|"You were right about one thing, master: The negotiations were short.''}}

** [[Hoist by His Own Petard|Only fitting]], since the English had hanged William's father and some of his compatriots after pulling this stunt when William was a boy.

* ''[[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]]'': This is how the Arquellians negotiate. First step is to deliver an ultimatum. Next, they fire a heat beam at the ice caps as a "warning shot". Finally, if the demands are not met within a galactic standard week (one hour), [[Earthshattering Kaboom|you can say goodbye to Planet Earth]].

 

== Literature ==

* In one of the ''[[Myth Adventures]]'' books, Skeeve is parleying with the head of the opposing army when suddenly he realises the opposing army has been moving into position to attack him while he's distracted by the peace talk. He complains that this is a breach of protocol, and is informed that yes, it is, but it also works extremely well.

* In ''Mission of Honor'', [[Honor Harrington]] {{spoiler|goes to Haven to negotiate a peace settlement, backed up by Eighth Fleet, with the explicit threat that the Havenites can either negotiate, or get their navy blown out of space.}} Although that's really [[Gunboat Diplomacy]] rather than Aggressive Negotiations.

* The main character of ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' does this from time to time, most notably at the end of "Grave Peril" when {{spoiler|his girlfriend is kidnapped by the Red Court. The war he started over the matter only ended nine books/years later, when he indirectly killed every single vampire of the Red Court.}}

** This is also a trait of the Order of the Blackened Denarius, to the point where Dresden only agrees to a meeting with them because he knows it isn't in their best interest to attack him just yet. He arranges to have backup nearby in case he's wrong.

* Invoked but ultimately subverted in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' by [[Magnificent Bastard|Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish]]. He meets with the Lords Declarant, lords of the Vale who want to remove him from his position of Lord Protector. He deliberately angers them until one of them draws a sword, which gives Littlefinger a good enough reason to send them away.

 

** The battlestars would have had a chance, if Baltar hadn't sabotaged most of the ships and insisted on keeping the Vipers in the hangar bays.

* In one episode of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' a mediator beams down to a planet which has been at war for hundreds of years with his interpreters (he's a deaf-mute). One of the Mooks on one side is against peace talks and kills the interpreters. You have to question the intelligence of this move.

* One episode of ''[[MacGyver]]'' features the very careful aversion of this trope: Mac acts as a go-between for two groups who recognize the need for peace, but can't be together for more than a few minutes without hurling insults, at the very least. He keeps them apart by putting them in comfortable suites at opposite ends of a skytram, and relays only written materials.

 

* In the [[King Arthur]] myth, his final battle with Mordred started this way. Neither side trusted the other, and brought plenty of heavily armed soldiers along to the negotiations. The fighting started when one soldier, bitten by an asp, drew his sword to kill it. Both sides had been warned to expect treachery, and responded immediately. Due to the confusion and disorganization, both sides were essentially wiped out.

 

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* Can be pretty common in ''[[Rogue Trader]]'' games.

* Quite likely to happen whenever the player characters in any tabletop RPG attempt diplomacy, because there's almost always at least one player who thinks negotiation is boring and would rather have a big fight.

 

== Video Games ==

* The Renegade-unlock sidequest in ''[[Mass Effect]]'' has Shepard sent to negotiate with a self-styled warlord. Said warlord's negotiation style is to start by insulting Shepard, and then make several increasingly unreasonable demands, and becoming hostile if Shepard even questions the demands. At any point during the "negotiation," Shepard has the option of getting fed up and attacking the warlord{{spoiler|, which was Admiral Hackett's idea in the first place}}.

** Almost all ways of solving problems nonviolently using renegade options, especially in ''[[Mass Effect]] 2'', such as getting past a guard, or having someone reveal information. Sometimes it crosses into [[Badass Boast]] territory.

* ''[[Suikoden III]]'' opens with uneasy peace negotiations between the Grassland clans and the Zexen Confederacy, with [[The Chief's Daughter|Hugo]] delivering a message to the capital, only to get jerked around, ignored, and ultimately attacked when the [[Jerkass]] Zexen Council decides he'd make a good hostage. Escaping that, he makes it home just in time to see his home {{spoiler|[[Doomed Hometown|being burned to the ground]]}}.

* ''[[Ratchet and Clank]]'' weapons sometimes imply this trope as a pun - notably, ''The Negotiator'' rocket launcher, and it's upgraded form, ''The Arbiter''. Said to quickly conclude legal disputes across the galaxy!

* In the the backstory of ''[[Star Wars: The Old Republic]]'', the terms of the Treaty of Coruscant that ended (for now) the war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire were essentially dictated to the Republic by the Sith in this manner. After taking control of much of the galaxy by force, the Sith asked for an armistice and a negotiated end to the fighting. The fighting did stop, but only temporarily; during the negotiations on Alderaan, the Sith launched a sneak attack on the Republic capitol of Coruscant and took control of it, forcing the delegation on Alderaan to accept a treaty whose terms were highly favorable to the Sith Empire. The plot for the Karraga's Palace operation<ref>raid</ref> involves this trope as well.

* In ''[[Sacrifice]]'', playing Persephone's campaign leads to this as all of her 'homeland assaults' on the other gods start out as diplomacy missions that go sour when the other party tries to kill you. So you have to kill them instead to leave.

 

== Web Comics ==

{{quote|'''Aragorn:''' Yeah, let's speed this up. ''(Kills {{spoiler|the [[Mouth of Sauron]])}}''

'''DM:''' What? You attack him? During parlay? This is the third time you've killed someone during negotiations!

* In the backstory of ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', The Dark One, [[Dark Messiah]] of the Goblins was killed during "peace" negotiations with human rulers. The Goblins soon went on a [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]], with the bloodshed being intense enough to ascend The Dark One to godhood.

* In ''[[Goblins]]'', Thaco and Goblinslayer meet in a parley. Goblinslayer plans from the very beginning to kill Thaco instead of negotiating. However, Thaco uses Goblinslayer's pride to his own advantage by challenging him to a single combat, preferably somewhere everyone can see them, causing him to be removed from the place where the actual battle was going on.

 

== Western Animation ==

{{quote|'''Optimus:''' "When Predacons talk peace, it just means they need time to reload their weapons."

'''Megatron:''' "Under normal circumstances, yes." }}

 

== Real Life ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Military and Warfare Tropes]]