Intransigence is a stronger and more pejorative cousin of ‘obstinacy’. It implies that the refusal to compromise is principled (or at least dressed up as principle) — making it useful for analytical writing about negotiations that have stalled.
Note the historical pedigree: the word entered global political vocabulary from Spanish republican politics of the 1870s. That heritage gives it an ideological edge, which is why it suits Mains analyses of stalemates rooted in deep doctrinal differences — sovereignty disputes, climate equity, or trade norms.
