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I am troubled by the ISIS example given in the article. The rise of ISIS is not due to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, though having a weakened, divided Iraq does not help. The mistake that allowed the rise of ISIS was failing to support the protestors in Syria. The long term civil war and the chaos that has ensued because of it is what allowed ISIS room to grow. Actually, to be fair, even though I personally find it an appalling suggestion, supporting Bashar al Assad against the protestors would probably have done even more to ensure the stability of the region. In this case, I really think that inaction was the problem and now the Syrian and Iraqi people are paying for it.
> [T]he cult of action, of being tough and not just sitting there and watching. But not doing things too disastrously is not some minimal achievement; it is a maximal achievement, rarely managed.

I feel like there ought to be a superb Havelock Vetinari quote for this, something about how people foolishly seek even wrongful action over inaction. Since I can't find it:

> "Putting up a statue to someone who tried to stop a war is not very, um, statuesque. Of course, if you had butchered five hundred of your own men out of arrogant carelessness, we'd be melting the bronze already."

knowledge helps, regardless of its kind.