Megalomaniacs are notorious for unlimited seeking of increased power, just as mountain climbers went higher and higher, even with great risk of death, up higher and higher mountains until even Mt Everest was won. Violence is their mountain. They want to scale the heights.
Certainly the case.. Especially with those who claim less than stellar lineages.. Their command of brutal clans, organized gangs, and militias often provide them the upward "social mobility" they never would have achieved otherwise.. Thus, they have little motivation to live in peace. They can't garner respect from rivals except through force of arms and sheer..
So they continue to terrorize whomever stands in the way of their achieving more power... more control, more respect. They will force others to respect them.. And if necessary, involve powerful foreigners to either ally with them, or to intimidate them into supporting their cause.
Furthermore, there's this tribal concept of being unwilling to compromise from a position of weakness, for fear of suffering a loss of face, or loss of power. And when in a position of strength, they figure they don't need to compromise... They want to increase their power and not share it with anyone. This is the condition that, I opine, pervades much of the mid-east.
The real question is what level of poverty and disgust is required to provoke the common people to force their leaders to compromise and live in peace with one another?
Hawk |
