#De-Escalation

De-escalation is a lofty therapy urging opposing parties to "take a chill pill." At international summits it has become a ritual of empty gestures, an elegant farce of peace exercised by lip service alone. In practice, the distributed cookies and tea fail to soothe anyone, accelerating only the chair's exhaustion. Under the guise of "dialogue," participants think they are dousing flames, yet often end up stoking the fire instead. And in the end, it is not those who shake hands but those who simply buy time with endless meetings who truly walk away victorious.