Raising exactly what you expect to need to do the right set of value-creating steps (no more, no less) is a tricky balance between fear and greed.

FORBES: The Energetics of Fear and Greed in the Boardroom

However, MPs rejected Labour MP John McDonnell's amendment to allow squatters to occupy a building if it had been empty for six months or more and if there were no significant steps being taken to "refurbish, let or sell the building at the time of the trespass".

BBC: Legal Aid and Sentencing Bill part two

In both the Balkans and Iraq, no-fly zones acted as steps to much more extensive military involvement.

FORBES: Libya: Another Unnecessary War Of Choice

External pressure is no doubt responsible for part of that, and will likely provide political cover for more difficult steps in the future.

ECONOMIST: China and trade

Furthermore, each subsequent version of the bill took even more draconian steps to regulate the Internet, effectively leaving any site with a user-contributed content no choice but to pre-screen every posting to comply with the law.

FORBES: How Congress and the Entertainment Industry Plan to Kill the Internet and How Citizens, Reddit Users, and a Few Senators Are Fighting Back