Political over-reaction

Nature

A major folly of governments and governors is that of over reacting to political situations. Very minor incidents are made to be life and death problems which must be dealt with immediately and decisively. The over reaction thus creates far larger problems than the original issue could ever have produced.

Claim

Governments and politicians invent endangered "national security" or "vital interests" or enlarge a "commitment" to an ally to the point that these inventions take on lives of their own. These concerns of the USA during the Cold War and particularly during the Vietnam War perpetuated destructive foreign and domestic policies long after they were recognized as destructive even by those who invented them.