"His thinking helped establish the baseline theory of negotiation," Patton says.

During the Cold War, Fisher co-authored an article with a member of the Politburo, the policy-making body of the Soviet Union, that became official Soviet policy. According to Patton, Fisher pioneered ways in which opposing sides can work together even when they disagree on fundamental matters.

Fisher says that instead of continuing to escalate the conflict, the PSLM should state their demands in a way that

allows Harvard to agree with out appearing weak.

"The more the students use force, the more they make it difficult for Harvard to back down to illegal activities," Fisher says. According to Fisher, the parties need to find a solution that "they both could talk to their constituencies about."

"You have to give them a choice to say yes to," agrees Robert C. Bordone, deputy director of the Harvard Negotiation Research Project and Beal lecturer at HLS. "Its easier to find the stick than the carrot."

Bordone described a negotiation process that should take place, centered