Nevertheless, the reality is that major powers will have interactions over time, so short-term tensions need careful, even if confrontational treatment. I know something about negotiation. I started out in the field of labor-management negotiations back in the days when that was the big league as far as negotiation goes. Now there is a time to negotiate and a time to refrain from negotiation. There are principles that give backbone to your negotiation.
Negotiation has to be about something that matters.
And it has to be for something that counts. But in recent years we have seen the rise of the idea that anything and everything can be negotiated. We have seen it asserted that everyone has legitimate needs and concerns and that if only those needs are understood and addressed, then a successful outcome can be negotiated. From this framework of reference, we have in recent times seen principles negotiated away. We have seen violence rewarded with a seat at the table.