Playing Diplomacy to Get Your Ally to Win

This is a conversation originally Mong sort of started with me, but I thought I'd share the concept and open it up to comments/discussion.

When you're playing diplomacy I find the greatest joy in the following (in order): manipulation, strategy, trust, commands, and general play. However these things are quickly fleeting if you're out of the game in the first few years and aren't able to see the board mature into a handful of countries.

When you play the game with an ally and have the full intention of helping them win unless an opening is presented to you chances are you'll at least be able to be in the game longer than if not. In the perfect scenario you're able to grow away from your ally until you're not or it's less feasible to turn on them the moment before they are able to turn on you. A great alliance will almost take over the entire board before in a blink of the eye one player cuts the other's throat and takes victory. In a good alliance there is an understanding of "I'm your ally until I'm not" and when your ally stabs you in the back and starts taking your stars you can feel proud that maybe you didn't win this game but at least your counterpart did. The best in my opinion is when the rest of the board didn't even know you were working together.

So instead of playing to win, play to play and if you or your ally comes out on top be happy you blocked a side, provided some stars, or go stabbed before you planned on stabbing them. There will always be other games and when you truly trust you are also vulnerable, but you increase the amount of time you get to enjoy the other aspects of the game.