No planner controls every actor or delivery

Claims of absolute control over the global economy, the likelihood of war, or even personal behavior deserve skepticism. Choices operate within physical constraints and depend on other people's actions. Economies and wars multiply that uncertainty because they rest on perceptions and decisions by actors who are themselves imperfectly controlled. A government can place an order, yet the promised item may arrive late or not at all. The planned Fleet Air Arm fighter in the next example turns that general warning into a procurement case.