I'm not suggesting that negotiation and compromise are always feasible. However, there are often opportunities which are overlooked. For instance, the Allies insistence upon "unconditional surrender" cost many, many lives and didn't gain anything.

Had the Japanese known they could keep their Emperor they would have surrendered long before they did. There was a very, very strong faction within Japan which was looking for a way to end the war but kept butting their heads up against the idea the Emperor would be strung up. As it was, the US was smart enough to keep the Emperor to help insure the population could be ruled after the cessation of hostilities, AND to ensure the Japanese units in the field really did surrender. So "unconditional surrender" cost many, many lives on both sides.

As far as Germany was concerned, there were elements which would have gladly overthrown Hitler had they any hope of surrendering to the US and Britain. However, the refusal to negotiate with those folks in favor of letting the USSR overrun the country meant that troops would be fighting much longer than necessary for defeating the country and winning the war. And left the Western powers in a far, far worse post-war position.

Arf