Are Iran's Leaders Nuts?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, supreme leader Ali Khamenei, judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and Parl. Photo from the Atlantic Council

Are Iran’s Leaders, Well…Crazy? -- Kimo Quaintance & Bernd Kaussler, The Diplomat

Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric is likely about domestic politics. But with uncertainty over who would really control Iran's nuclear weapons, don’t assume Israel will take a chance.

The most vocal supporters of preventative military strikes against Iran’s nuclear weapons program claim that Iran is developing nukes to use them, rather than to deter the United States and its allies from invasion. This inversion of the Cold War theory of nuclear deterrence assumes that Iran doesn’t have the capacity for rational choice. After all, as the argument goes, if the Iranians are crazy, then the certainty of national suicide won’t stop them from seizing the opportunity to unleash their new nuclear weapons on Israel. A state that believes the end of the world is coming (never mind thinking it has the special responsibility to usher in Armageddon) can’t be considered likely to weigh costs and benefits in any rational, self-preserving way.

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My Comment: From our perspective they are religious fanatics who have a social/cultural/political belief system that is rooted from the 7th century. From the Iranian leadership's perspective, we are atheists who have no morals and who do not believe in God. What is my point of view .... they are not crazy .... they are corrupt and ruthless men who are determined to keep their privileges and status in Iran, and will use religion to justify their policies and moral stance.