Sorbonne Professor of Negotiation Anja Merz to Speak at Majlis Mohamed Bin Zayed on Sheikh Zayed’s lessons on Co-Operation

At the invitation of the Presidential Protocol, Anja Merz, Professor of Negotiation at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, will deliver a Majlis session on 3 March, as part of the prestigious Majlis Mohamed Bin Zayed series. 

The Majlis Mohamed Bin Zayed series is held annually in Abu Dhabi throughout the holy month of Ramadan. It brings together distinguished speakers to discuss topics of global and regional significance. This year’s lecture will explore a timely theme: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as a negotiator and nation-builder. 

In that context, Anja Merz will share insights from her academic work and research on high-stakes and multiparty negotiations. She teaches negotiation at both Bachelor’s and Master’s levels at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi through dedicated courses as well as within cross-cultural management modules. In addition, she is the academic director of the continuous education program on “The Art of Negotiation: Step by Step to Successful Outcomes”, an executive training programme offered by Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi’s Continuing Education Centre (CEC), designed to equip professionals with clarity, confidence, and practical negotiation skills for a wide range of workplace situations. Learn more about our executive programme here.

Academic Insights into Negotiation Leadership and Nation-Building 

Professor Merz’s talk draws on insights from her recently co-written chapter of the book, Negotiators Who Changed the World. The book chapter examines how negotiation has shaped world history—from discreet diplomatic exchanges that ended wars to transformative dialogues that reshaped nations. By examining strategies used in pivotal historical moments, the chapter highlights insights that remain highly relevant to contemporary challenges in leadership, diplomacy, and conflict resolution. 

The presentation also draws on Professor Merz’s dedicated case study on Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, jointly written with Horacio Falcao, Professor at INSEAD. The study offers Sheikh Zayeds lessons and patterns in negotiation, shows his unwavering commitment to collaboration, discloses the roots of Sheikh Zayed’s way of negotiating, and examines his negotiation skills at critical turning points in the formation of the United Arab Emirates, from early negotiations over water rights in Al Ain to complex multiparty talks on federal unification. 

Through this session, the audience will gain not only historical insight but also conceptual foundation on cooperation, practical negotiation lessons on relationship-building, process, and the responsible use of power. These principles remain profoundly relevant in today’s complex geopolitical landscape. 

Watch the opening presentation to step inside the session here.