In praise of positive improvisation

A common strand of failure runs through our disasters - at the crucial moment, we were either unprepared or indifferent to what might happen. The murder of Kyriaki Griva outside a police station as she sought protection from her violent former partner, the convoy of Croatian soccer hooligans crossing the country unimpeded, the fatal aid mission to Libya, the shipwreck off Pylos, the Tempe tragedy, are just the most recent failures that could have been avoided if the right mechanisms were in place, if the rules were followed, and, especially, if the whole chain of officials involved were imbued with a spirit of responsibility and the ability to improvise where this was needed.

In other words, we need better systems and human qualities - people who care about the security and well-being of others. Because we believe that most people want to do the right thing, we need to look...