For example – could there ever be peace between Israel and Palestine? So many of the most skillful negotiators have tried their hand at creating peace … but it seems that every treaty is eventually overstepped, and eventually conflict arises.

Since mistrust exists, it’s assumed that the otherside will eventually break the treaty – so since they are not to be trusted anyways, one should be proactive in breaking the treaty first – to atleast have the advantage!

On the otherside – in some places, a deep trust exists. For instance, members of a church or even across some religions – have a very strong trust. In doing business with someone of your same ‘faith’, you don’t have to be so careful about doing background checking and reference checking. They already have a public profile in the community – and they would put that trust at risk by acting in a way that was unethical or harmful to your business (for instance, not fulfilling some expected obligations).

Right – I think I see your point about ‘openness’. By showing more than you have to – you give a signal to your potential partners that you don’t have anything to hide. They would be more inclined to trust you, because you’ve signaled in this way.

Also interesting –> ‘Other ways to promote cooperation’:
http://www.plexusinstitute.org/edgeware/archive/think/main_filing6.html