I am responding to question 6

What might it meant to "win" in world politics? A position that is commonly taken is the "I win, you lose" attitude that is so commonplace in our society. The idea is that one party (or in the case of global politics, a country) totally trumps another (in scenarios of negotiation or winning a war, for example). However, a better, fairer position to take could be the idea of a "I win and you win" situation in which all parties come to a compromise that satisfies most of the needs and wants of every party involved.

Compromise is usually the best way to resolve an issue or crisis, as demonstrated many times throughout history. The opposite way doesn't always give the best result. Huge wars result in hardship and sadness, and can be avoided. For example, when North and South Vietnam conflicted, they did not resolve the issue with peaceful methods (though attempts were made); instead, bloody battles resulted. If the peace talks had prevailed, the Vietnam War might have been avoided.

Not everyone would agree that compromise is the best method in politics and negotiation, or that compromise equates "victory" in global politics. Some would argue in favor of the idea the victory means one party is above the others. The Oxford English dictionary defines the word "win" as: "...gain, acquisition,profit; advantage...subdue and take possession of...be of higher value than...". It is therefore understandable why some would take an "I win, you lose" position with regard to world politics. In addition, one could make the objection that compromise does not satisfy everyone's wants and needs fully, and that there would always be nuggets of unresolved issues under the promise. This is very possible and has happened before in history. (The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for decades, despite the best efforts of the world powers to resolve it.) However, in most cases, it is possible to challenge the unsatisfaction and underlying grudges. A good compromise would make both parties happy with what they are gaining and content if everything doesn't go their way. It is possible in world politics that the definition of the word "win" can be changed.