There has been a few rumors lately that the Taliban has contacted the government in Afghistan. But those rumors haven’t been proven. Will the Taliban negotiate or will they continue to fight the coalition forces?

It depends on how long the US is willing to fight. If the US really wants to they CAN outlast the Taliban. Recently they’ve been cutting out a lot of the Taliban’s funds by attempting to shut down the drug trade. Weapons cost money and if the Taliban don’t have money they can’t buy weapons. Seems simple on paper. Many also say that the Taliban ARE almost out of money and that the recent wave of violence is simply a last ditch effort to win the war. It may also explain why they’re suddenly willing to talk. They know they can never truly beat the US and NATO.

Only time will tell.

I was tentatively offered a position yesterday (I am a mid-level healthcare provider) and am wondering how to go about negotiating my starting salary and benefits package. There are a limited number of jobs out there right now and I dont want to overstep my boundaries, but I feel like my starting salary will follow me for the rest of my career. Thanks!

Steve gave a great answer…the only thing missing though is the answer to "How should I go about negotiating my first salary?" But everything he says is spot on.

To begin a negotiation process, or at least feel them out to see if you have any wiggle room, speak with the hiring manager or whomever you contact is and tell them you’ve given a lot of though to the offer and that you were really expecting to be more between $xxx and $xxx (try to give a range that is high but reasonable) and then give some reason like – because of the years of experience I bring, or because of the specialized knowledge I have in xxx, or because of the high cost of living of xxx city, or anything that is realistic to say. The point, at this point, is that you aren’t going to convince them to give you more because of something you have or bring that is special. You are just feeling them out to see if there is room in their budget to go higher. You can also take a slightly riskier approach that has worked for me – tell them you received another offer that was, say $5k higher than their offer but that they are your first choice because _______ (make up a reason – good team, good reputation, good advancement, a lot to learn etc.) and that you want to accept the offer from them but need to find out if they can match the other offer to make it comfortable for you to accept. If they say no, you can still accept gracefully because of the reasons you stated that they are your first choice.

Hope that helps. Best of luck and congratulations.

My question is regarding what advantage this is to the client, not the sucess of the lawyer.

Try asking this question on Avvo. You’ll get many responses from lawyers, for free.

Megan from Avvo

I am looking to buy an engagement ring soon and I’ve heard differing answers as to whether or not you are allowed to negotiate the price of an engagement ring, can somebody please give me a clear answer? Also, any other tips on buying the ring would be helpful, thank you so much!

As a business owner, I can tell you there’s ALWAYS room for negotiation. However, I would suggest purchasing the ring from a personally owned jewelry store, rather than a chain. Generally, major retailers can’t offer any point of sale discounts, but if you’re the owner of the store, and business is slow (and that’s everyone these days!), most are willing to knock a few bucks off just to close the sale. Don’t get greedy, do your homework in advance and do your best to find out what you would be paying in the open marketplace (and make sure you’re comparing apples to apples). Also, businesses are more apt to give a discount to someone who is paying cash, rather than putting it on a credit card–because then you (as the seller) don’t have to pay the credit card usage fee. I look at it this way, what’s the worst they can say to you?

Good luck!

I am currently looking for a Chevy Cobalt because of the gas mileage, price and cute body. I have found some super deals that I, of course, missed out on. So, I’ve shopped around and have come up with three different cars. They aren’t as good as the other deals I missed and this is going to bother me. I want to know any tips/strategies I can use when I talk to the different dealers in hopes of getting a good deal I won’t regret later. Thank you so much.

Examine the car closely and find every single little flaw you can find and address them very aggressively if he says something good about the car say a flaw you found then state your price lower then you expect to get then you can negotiate and you will most likely get the best deal on the block!

i am doing a research on bussiness negotiation…..
what are the most importan principles of bussiness negotiation?
were did it started?
how did it started?
any tips?
can i have an educated answer?

Business negotiation.

Offer price
Wait till offeree smartens up and accepts price
?????
Profit

Your thoughts or good references would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
naturally, negotiation is the key attribute of diplomacy so any official doing the job of a diplomat has to have negotiation skills. The reason negotiation must be seen as the key to the work of a diplomat today is the governments’ accountability to the citizens through the various media.

Not just today, always….Diplomats always negotiate or come to a compromise, thats their job. Its like asking why is fixing leaks seen as central to the work of a plumber….well its their job.

I found a historic home with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths that has been "75% renovated". It is an REO listed at 90,000. The listing price has been decreased by 30,000 in the past few months and all comps on the street are 100,000+. How much negotiation (if any) is allowable with a home in this situation? I am viewing it tomorrow and would like an idea of what could be offered. I believe it needs mostly cosmetic repairs (hopefully).
Thanks for any advice you may have!

Lenders obtain BPOs and appraisals to determine value, and they decrease price incrimentally to attract offers. There may be SOME flexibility, but you are not buying this for "pennies on the dollar" because the banks want to clear the books or whatever nonsense is touted out in the internet.

In summation, do not expect a $50,000 offer to be accepted.