A number of years ago I read a news story that somewhat surprised me, though I’ve reached an age at which nothing should surprise me when it involves government. Nevertheless it did take me back a step as it once more illustrated one of my favorite laws, the law of unintended consequences.
For those not familiar with it, the encyclopedia defines it like this:
“The Law of Unintended Consequences holds that almost all human actions have at least one unintended consequence. Unintended consequences are a common phenomenon, due to the complexity of the world and human over-confidence.”
Examples of this law in action are legion, especially in situations where modifying behavior is attempted. Prohibition is one well-known example. Small-time suppliers of booze were put out of business, but the demand was such that organized crime (gangsters) owned the market.
Charlie Wilson’s War illustrates another example. We armed the Mujaheddin to help them fight the Russians, but in the end the weapons we supplied them with were later used for other purposes, not to our liking. The same happened in Latin America when we armed General Noriega. And at one time we chose to supply Saddam Hussein in Iraq…
