When faced with a threat, such as the Iranian nuclear program, there are a couple options. The first is to beat your chest and bluster about how we cannot allow X to happen. This result is either humiliation or war. The second option is to completely give up--something that also demonstrates to your fellows that you are a paper tiger. The third option---which Joseph Collins has done in his recent Armed Forces Journal article--is a realistic analysis of what consequences we might face from the Iranians going nuclear, the costs of stopping them, and how we can deal with a nuclear Iran should our efforts fail.
Resiliency is not just a matter of material strength, it's also a mindset. It is the will to think the unthinkable, to adapt to violent change, and plot a course for renewal even in the worst of circumstances. The problem is that human beings by nature find all of the above difficult. If the average Joe (not a plumber, I hope) can't do so, what hope is there for the legislature?
This is the utility of Think Tank 2.0 and the ludic space--both are resilient, eclectic, and highly adaptable structures that can generate original ideas without the taint of groupthink.
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