The Macmillan Postulate
Navigating Unpredictable Events to Prevent Ideological Violence The murder of Iryna Zarutska, the Annunciation Church shooting, and Charlie Kirk’s assassination, each within the last three weeks, exemplify Harold Macmillan’s famous quip, “Events, dear boy, events,” a cautionary reminder of the unpredictable nature of political crises. Originally delivered in 1957 during Macmillan’s tenure as British Prime Minister, this phrase emerged from the context of post-World War II Britain, where the 1956 Suez Crisis-a failed military intervention in Egypt-unexpectedly propelled him to power, exposing the fragility of planned governance against unforeseen occurrences. Macmillan recognized that events often override intention, a lesson drawn from…