How to centrally plan an entire country...

Chris Coyne

...in 30 PowerPoint slides.  If this doesn't illustrate the hubris of "nation-building," I don't know what does.

 

Addendum: Robert Higgs posts on fraud and waste in Afghanistan.

Comments

[Richard Ebeling]

Besides it just being a matter of feeding all the appropriate data into a computer, after all, all that really counts are good intentions.

Obviously, you do not care enough about people. And it is people that matter, not some abstract, cold and heartless notion of "laws" of supply and demand, and the cruel, bottom line idea of profits.

Oh, yes, and let's not forget that "pie in the sky" belief that society will spontaneously solve its problems through some "invisible hand." Don't you know that God is dead.

I bet you were routing for the Grinch who stole Christmas.

Richard Ebeling

[Doug Thorson]

Well if we can do all of this for Afganistan - then government run health care should be a cinch.

[simone]

PA consulting is third rate to offer this nonsense as serious thought. As a systems modeler I cant believe someone would play this silly game.

[Mario Rizzo]

What is this exactly? And is there some kind of pun going on with Coyne and COIN?????

[Matt]

After carefully analyzing this slide show, I can say with complete confidence that they do, in fact, have absolutely the correct number of bubbles. If they had plus or minus one too many bubbles the whole web would have come crashing down. Thank God they got it exactly right.

Not!

[Watch Full Movies]

Quite interesting topic. I completely agree with Matt. I also think that they have absolutely the correct number of bubbles.

[Pietro M.]

The strategy is clear, but libertarians, as usual, have troubles with international relations and can't understand it. :-D

Strategy 1:

1. Marines read the flow chart aloud.
2a. Talibans commit suicide en masse not to listen to that rubbish.
3. The war is won.

Strategy 2:

1. Same as above.
2b. Talibans die for excess laughther.
3. Same as above.

Strategy 3:

1. Same as above.
2c. Talibans die of boredom.
3. Same as above.

So, from the point of view of systems theory, strategy 1 is linked to goal 3 by means of multiple paths (2a,2b,2c). Victory is a robust outcome.

Unfortunately, outcomes 2 can be dangerous for the civilian population and for marines. In order to minimize the latter problem, the flowchart must be translated in pashto, so that marines don't get it and only talibans and neighboring afghani civilians die.

This strategy has worked with the Germans, as shown by Monty Python.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFgx1mgvC6E

[Pietro M.]

aloud -> loud.

[Doug Thorson]

On further reflection, I think the "flow charts" and "bubbles" confuse the most important point, "which direction shall we point our guns?"

It seem as if the guns are pointed in the direction of the U. S. taxpayer, again. I'm not saying that the designers of the strategy are confused about which direction to point our weapons, I'm just saying...

[childhood depression]

Very interesting.. Thankfully they got it right..

[Mario Rizzo]

I am not convinced this is the real thing and not a joke.

[Chris Coyne]

Mario,

It is the real thing - here is more background:

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/02/2140281.aspx

Chris

[Peter Boettke]

Bill Easterly talks about this here:
http://aidwatchers.com/2009/12/where-was-the-person-in-the-room-who-laughed-out-loud/

[Jordan Cover 3]

A pure heart allows all others their dance and unfolding, even if the others end their incarnation in death or disease.