Pure conflict almost never occurs even in war

Evidence

In fact, the richness of the subject arises from the fact that, in international affairs, there is mutual dependence as well as opposition. Pure conflict, in which the interests of two antagonists are completely opposed, is a special case; it would arise in a war of complete extermination, otherwise not even in war. For this reason, “winning” in a conflict does not have a strictly competitive meaning; it is not winning relative to one’s adversary. It means gaining relative to one’s own value system; and this may be done by bargaining, by mutual accommodation, and by the avoidance of mutually damaging behavior. — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 19

Categorization

• XREF: Directly grounds the reader’s Gambetta/Milgrom mapping: Don Corleone’s arbitration succeeds precisely because protection markets involve mutual dependence, not pure antagonism, even against opponents like Sollozzo who are rivals. — connects to: Total war makes warfare useless as a political instrument — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 156; Game theory succeeds on pure conflict but fails on mixed conflict-cooperation — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 202; Culture is a constant battlefield with no permanent victories (+2 more)

Related

• Most conflicts are variable-sum games with common interests (similarity 0.81)
• Game theory succeeds on pure conflict but fails on mixed conflict-cooperation (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Total war makes warfare useless as a political instrument #expands (0.80) — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 156
• Expensive war-fleet dominance deterred conflict and produced relative peace #exemplifies (0.80) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 395
• Game theory succeeds on pure conflict but fails on mixed conflict-cooperation #corroborates (0.75) — Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, 202
• Culture is a constant battlefield with no permanent victories #exemplifies (0.75)
• Pure mathematics cannot be turned to warlike purposes #corroborates (0.72) — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 277