History Main / LetNoCrisisGoToWaste

--->'''Rule of Acquisition #35:''' War is good for business.[[hottip:*:Rule of Acquisition #34, incidentally, is "Peace is good for business".]]

Note that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_word_for_%22crisis%22 the Chinese word for "crisis"]] [[DidNotDoTheResearch doesn't actually translate]] as "a dangerous opportunity", but that doesn't stop heroes and villains alike from seeing one when this trope is invoked.

While [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_word_for_%22crisis%22 the Chinese word for "crisis"]] may not literally translate to "a dangerous opportunity", that doesn't stop heroes and villains alike from seeing one.

The story goes like this: A crisis occurs. The crisis can be anything; it might be something very, very serious, or might be a relatively minor event manufactured by a character to bring about the trope. Times are harder, or scarier, for everyone, it seems. Except one or more characters or groups of characters, to whom, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, they may have to make sacrifices too, but that's an acceptable loss. Because now they finally have the chance they've been waiting for. Rather than respond appropriately to the crisis and nothing more, the character or group decides to use the situation to their advantage in some way.

In KamenRiderWizard, the secondary Rider, Beast, completely believes in this trope to the point where it has become a CatchPhrase for him.

While [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Translation_of_Crisis the Chinese word for "crisis"]] may not literally translate to "a dangerous opportunity", that doesn't stop heroes and villains alike from seeing one.

* In the ''StarWars'' prequel trilogy, Senator Palpatine uses fear of the Separatist movement to gain authority. Although he more or less created the Separatist movement in the first place.

->"''When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.''"

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[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:{{Manga}} and {{Anime}}]]

[[AC:MythAndLegend]]
* According to both myth and historical record, Cao Cao - the King of Wei most known for his starring role in the ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' - was assessed by a renowned sage, who was famous for always being able to tell someone's true potential. He stated that Cao Cao would be 'A decent administrator in peaceful times, or a blood-stained hero in chaotic times.' A few years later, the long period of civil war known as the Three Kingdoms Period got started, and Cao Cao lived up the prediction by turning the crisis into his opportunity - eventually outmaneuvering both Wu and Shu, and seizing control of all China with the formation of a new Dynasty (it didn't last more than three generations before his trusted strategist, Sima Yi, pulled an EvilChancellor and seized power for himself - but by then, Cao Cao was several years in the grave, so you can hardly blame him for that).

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* In the original ''Videogame/{{Starcraft}}'' terran campaign, Mengsk uses the zerg invasion to help himself gain power.

[[AC:RealLife]]

** In fact, it seems the most notorious incident involved Jo Moore, who (very consciously) decided to leak some news about council pensions in the immediate aftermath of ''Film/NineEleven''.

* ''In Oliver Stone's ''Film/{{W}}'', Cheney and Rumsfeld view the aftermath of 9/11 and the subsequent WarOnTerror as a unique chance to end business left unfinished by Bush Sr.'s administration and start a policy of Empire-building in the Middle East.

** In fact, it seems the most notorious incident involved Jo Moore, who (very consciously) decided to leak some news about council pensions in the immediate aftermath of ''NineEleven''.

[[AC:{{Myth}} and {{Legend}}]]
* According to both myth and historical record, Cao Cao - the King of Wei most known for his starring role in the ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' - was assessed by a renowned sage, who was famous for always being able to tell someone's true potential. He stated that Cao Cao would be 'A decent administrator in peaceful times, or a blood-stained hero in chaotic times.' A few years later, the long period of civil war known as the Three Kingdoms Period got started, and Cao Cao lived up the prediction by turning the crisis into his opportunity - eventually outmaneuvering both Wu and Shu, and seizing control of all China with the formation of a new Dynasty (it didn't last more than three generations before his trusted strategist, Sima Yi, pulled an EvilChancellor and seized power for himself - but by then, Cao Cao was several years in the grave, so you can hardly blame him for that).

* If ''anything'' happens in ''StarTrek'', the Ferengi will attempt to carry out this trope.

* As it turns out in the Soviet victory scenario in ''[[CommandAndConquerRedAlert Red Alert]]'', the entire Russian war effort was a huge XanatosGambit by Kane to expand the USSR, then topple it, and use the ensuing chaos to strengthen the Brotherhood of Nod.

* Naomi Klein's ''The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism'':
-->Hurricane Katrina has just hit New Orleans, what do you do? If you said "privatize public schools", you might just be a conservative.

* This is the basis for a major plot in ''{{Watchmen}}''. [[spoiler:It was the one by [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready Ozymandias]].]]

-->When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.
-->-JohnFKennedy

* This is the basis for a major plot in ''{{Watchmen}}''. [[spoiler: It was the one by [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready Ozymandias]].]]

* In the ''StarWars'' prequel trilogy, Senator Palpatine uses fear of the Separatist movement to gain authority. Although he more or less created the Separtist movement in the first place.

* Naomi Klein's ''The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism''
--> Hurricane Katrina has just hit New Orleans, what do you do? If you said "privatize public schools", you might just be a conservative.

* In ''CodeGeass'', Lelouch accidentally [[spoiler: orders Euphemia to commit genocide]], and mere minutes later, grabbed the opportunity to use the incident to start a war.

* According to both myth and historical record, Cao Cao - the King of Wei most known for his starring role in the ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' - was assessed by a renowned sage, who was famous for always being able to tell someone's true potential. He stated that Cao Cao would be 'A decent administrator in peaceful times, or a blood-stained hero in chaotic times.' A few years later, the long period of civil war known as the Three Kingdoms Period got started, and Cao Cao lived up the prediction by turning the crisis into his opportunity - eventually outmaneuvering both Wu and Shu, and seizing control of all China with the formation of a new Dynasty. (It didn't last more than three generations before his trusted strategist, Sima Yi, pulled an EvilChancellor and seized power for himself - but by then, Cao Cao was several years in the grave, so you can hardly blame him for that.)

* As it turns out in the Soviet victory scenario in ''[[CommandAndConquerRedAlert Red Alert]]'', the entire Russian war effort was a huge {{Xanatos Gambit}} by Kane to expand the USSR, then topple it, and use the ensuing chaos to strengthen the Brotherhood of Nod.

* Both Hitler and Mussolini rose because their respective countries were in shambles following WW1.

* Infamously paraphrased by RahmEmanuel around the time BarackObama was elected.

* In the original ''{{Starcraft}}'' terran campaign, Mengsk uses the zerg invasion to help himself gain power.

* As it turns out in the Soviet victory scenario in ''[[{{Command And Conquer}} Red Alert]]'', the entire Russian war effort was a huge {{Xanatos Gambit}} by Kane to expand the USSR, then topple it, and use the ensuing chaos to strengthen the Brotherhood of Nod.

** In fact, it seems the most notorious incident involved Jo Moore, who (very consciously) decided to leak some news about council pensions in the immediate aftermath of ''NineEleven''.

* ''{{Super 8}}'', the kids take advantage of a train crash and the soldiers in town in order to increase the "production values" of their film.

* In the original ''Starcraft'' terran campaign, Mengsk uses the zerg invasion to help himself gain power.

* As it turns out in the Soviet victory scenario in ''[[{{Command And Conquer}} Red Alert]]'', the entire Russian war effort was a huge {{Xanatos Gambit}} by Kane to expand the USSR, then topple it, and use the ensuing chaos to strengthen the Brotherhood of Nod.* Mengsk in the original {{Starcraft}} terran campaign uses the zerg invasion to help himself gain power.

* This is the basis for a major plot in {{Watchmen}}. [[spoiler: It was the one by [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready Ozymandias]].]]

* In the ''StarWars'' prequil trilogy, Senator Palpatine uses fear of the separatist movement to gain authority.

* In CodeGeass, Lelouch accidentally [[spoiler: orders Euphemia to commit genocide]], and mere minutes later, grabbed the opportunity to use the incident to start a war.

* In the original Starcraft terran campaign, Mengsk uses the zerg invasion to help himself gain power.