Simply put, ROE are a set of guidelines that control behavior and options when interacting with others who are combative or competitive. They act as a collection of high-level instructions that control and organize actions and reactions. They draw lines in the sand that prevent certain responses unless the other guy steps across the boundary.
Most people, whether they realize it or not, have internal ROE. If we had absolutely no ROE, then our actions would be 100% unpredictable, and we wouldn't have any sense of restraint at all. Many violent criminals suffer from a lack of ROE - without ROE guiding their actions, they respond in ways that many others see as "unwarranted", "excessive", or "over the top" - and then they go to jail. (Or they are featured as pointy-nosed cartoon characters.)I was thinking today about the irony that liberals accuse conservatives of being violent thugs who long for combat and civil disorder, while the vast majority of such unfortunate behavior has come and currently comes from their side of the political aisle both here and around the world. And it's not just those at the heads of governments and organizations that roll that way, but individuals! It's really annoying and it is going to lead to several unfortunate consequences...
