The madman of the Middle East

?He [the madman] ? explained the extremity of his actions as president ? as necessary to achieve ?subjective immunity? against foreign plots and influences.

?[His] ideological rationalization for a lifelong pattern [is] all actions are justified if they are in the service of furthering [his] needs and ambitions.

?He [often] identifies himself with ? Saladin who regained Jerusalem in 1187 by defeating the Crusaders.
?Commitments and loyalty are matters of circumstance and circumstances change. If an individual or a nation is perceived as an impediment or a threat, no matter how loyal in the past, that individual or nation [should] be eliminated ? and the action will be justified by ?the exceptionalism of revolutionary needs.? Nothing must be permitted to stand in ?the great struggler?s? messianic path. 

?[His] practice of revolutionary opportunism has another important characteristic. Just as previous commitments must not be permitted to stand in [his] messianic path, neither should one persist in a particular course of action if it proves to be counter-productive for him ? When he pursues a course of action, he pursues it fully, and if he meets initial resistance, he will struggle all the harder, convinced of the correctness of his judgments. But if circumstances demonstrated that he miscalculated, he is capable of reversing his course. In these circumstances he does not acknowledge he has erred?

?While he is psychologically in touch with reality, he is often politically out of touch with reality. [His] worldview is narrow and distorted ?

?He is surrounded by sycophants, who are ? afraid to contradict him. He has ruthlessly eliminated perceived threats to his power and equates criticism with disloyalty. 

?He...