Final answer:
Compromise can reduce conflict by having each party involved agree to move toward the other's position to reach a mutual decision. This strategy is often used in political bargaining but does not necessarily resolve the fundamental disagreements, although it can provide partial progress toward goals and prevent conflicts from escalating.
Step-by-step explanation:
Compromise can reduce conflict without resolving it. A compromise involves participants in a disagreement giving ground to arrive at a mutual agreement. The essence of a compromise is that each party involved agrees to move toward the position of others to reach a collective decision. For instance, in the context of international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if one country aims to reduce emissions by 10 percent and another by 5 percent, a compromise might be reached to reduce emissions by 7.5 percent. Each country concedes some of their initial position but gains partial progress toward their goal.
Often in politics, when parties with differing goals or values come together to negotiate, they are engaging in political bargaining. This may not fully resolve underlying disagreements but can still provide a means to manage and potentially reduce the intensity of the conflict. However, compromise may not always be possible, especially in cases of fundamental disagreements where the aims of different parties are incompatible, leading to collective dilemmas.
Working through conflict in this way can be particularly challenging in the current climate of political polarization, where the public discourse frequently pushes towards extremes. Nevertheless, compromise remains a valuable approach to lessen disputes and find common ground, as opposed to allowing the conflict to remain unresolved, which can lead to increased stress and diminished morale among stakeholders.