The Lesser: Defined.

Sometimes when things are very complex – the government has only one choice.

Sometimes when there is no clear path – the government has only one choice.

Sometimes when time is short and the risk is high – the government has only one choice.

Sometimes just because of the realities of this world – the government has only one choice.

The choice between the lesser of two evils.


The United States government has had to employ this strategy many times. By no means is it a first resort or the primary objective. But it is a contingency strategy that unfortunately has to be used more than we would like. I have never worked in government or anything – I gain all of my information solely from history. And throughout American history, we have relied upon this strategy to solve many problems and diminish many difficult situations. It may not be a perfect or ideal strategy, but it is an effective strategy for the real world.

A good example of this came around the 1980s. Without going into it in too much detail at all (actually, giving you a very rough Cliff Notes version) - Russia was struggling with Afghanistan. There were violent conflicts on both sides, and America was in a political pickle. Afghanistan was not one of our allies (since they were still in a transitional state, although we did support their hopeful government). And our relationship with Russia has always been on the edge of a knife (especially at that time nearing the end of the Cold War). There were validities on each side, and we had a decision to make.

So what did we decided to do? We chose the lesser of two evils. We helped out Afghanistan. We gave them weapons and training so that they could fight off Russia. But then what happened? The new regime for the government of Afghanistan turned the country into an asylum for terrorists. Twenty years later, we are fighting in Afghanistan against some of our own weapons and our own training.

But we had a choice to make. And we made the right choice. It was the lesser of two evils. And it was the only choice we could make.

This blog is going to explore some of the current choices we are making now and some of the choices that we have to make in the future. This principle of “the lesser of two evils” will unfortunately guide many of these choices.

I hope you will join with us in the analysis and strengthening of our government choices – especially those involving the lesser of two evils.