Subject: Progress on negotiations for the new initiative I should give you all an update on how the talks about the initiative are proceeding. In my last message, I told you that our team had to meet the local leader before proceeding. Well, that meeting happened, and it was quite an event! Initially, we were surprised to be met by a detachment of soldiers we assumed were the leader's bodyguards. They were all decked out in elaborate uniforms and rifles. They formed a corridor through which we walked to meet the leader, standing at the end of the column outside an elaborate audience hall and palace. He shook hands with all of us, introduced us to his wife, and invited us in to sit with them at a low table surrounded by chairs. The leader initiated some small talk, asking about where we were from, what we had seen of the country, what we thought of the culture, and how we reciprocated the small talk. Finally, one person on our team tried to talk directly about the proposed new initiative, but the leader dismissively waved his hand and said that we should discuss it later with some of his colleagues. We took the hint and returned to small talk. Upon adjourning our meeting with the leader, our team was shown into another large audience hall adjacent to the palace and seated at the head table on a dais at the front of a large conference room with fixed tables in the shape of a U. About twenty or thirty men and three women filed in behind us and took their seats around the U. Finally, the team asked us to make our presentation. While most people seemed to be listening, there were also several side conversations going on. When we finished, the local participants began a long and elaborate discussion in their language that didn't appear to have much focus either on us or on the program proposal. For long periods, they even seemed to be arguing among themselves. They occasionally asked us questions, but the discussion focused on several men who made fairly long, vociferous speeches, only portions of which were made in a language we understood or were interpreted for us. The group seemed to circle whether to support our proposal without ever explicitly supporting or rejecting it. I guess they wanted to get all of the views out on the table and assess the lay of the land without committing themselves. When it seemed appropriate, we added our comments and tried to answer their questions. Finally, one of the older men said he liked our ideas and suggested that talks continue at a later undefined time. I guess this will take longer than I figured! Would you please change my return air reservations to late next week? That's all for now. Questions: 1. Identify and explain four (4) cultural barriers to cross-cultural negotiation in reference to the case-