Why governments' attempts to pick winners produce more losers than winners.
The government of the cash-strapped Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which is prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and storms, is considering buying - from a "former fertiliser exporter and vodka salesman" - "floating nuclear power plants", produced at a state-run programme in northern Russia, in order to provide power to remote regions, Asian Power magazine reports. Sounds foolproof. What could possibly go wrong?
UPDATE: Forgot to mention the terrorists. Just a small wrinkle.
"For it was an elegant and true reply that was made to Alexander the Great by a certain pirate whom he had captured. When the king asked him what he was thinking of, that he should molest the sea, he said with defiant independence: 'The same as you when you molest the world! Since I do this with a little ship I am called a pirate. You do it with a great fleet and are called emperor'."