Is this a Larry NIven initiative, or reality aping his (or others) fiction. That he used a similar scenerio in ?Hammer of God? was quoted above. He also used a similar idea in a story of the first Man Kzin war. Earth being peaceful and well balanced, a group of people with severe mental illness are purposely taken off their highly effective medication to stimulate them into ideas for defence.
Hmmmmmmmm
A/ Highly dubious ethics
B/ Highly dubious effectiveness - these are mentally ill people for goodness sake, not inhibited geniuses!

John