The folks I know who work for the government are pretty rule driven. Folks like that seem to think that rules have real power over people in a way that isn't true -- as if the rule itself has intrinsic power to stop people from doing X rather than the rewards and punishments which get tied to it.
Factions in our government and governments around the world can make money secretly from it.
Powerful people also see the value of playing both sides. They profit by producing it and they also profit by owning stock in many private prison corporations here in the USA where we have the highest percentage of non-violent prisoners.
