In general, Americans view the major task of negotiations as solving a problem or dispute. (Note that the term dispute is often preferred over the word conflict. The former indicates a limited disagreement involving a limited number of parties whose components can be resolved, while the latter implies more intractable differences or violent actions involving broader social or political questions and a wider range of parties.) In American dispute resolution, a problem is identified, options to address it are generated, and then effort is exerted to persuade a counterpart of the best way to resolve the issues in question. Persuasion is often based on following accepted rules, following the