Contributing Authors

Despite almost eight years of presidency, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remains one of the most immature leaders the world has ever seen. He is notorious for his odd personality traits even among the high-ranking authorities of the Islamic regime: fierce rhetoric, use of vulgar vocabulary, hectic gestures, lapse of concentration etc., show not only his risible immaturity, but also his personal abnormality. His nonsensical verbal analogies and parallels, absurd comments, lack of rationality, revolting habits, and odd poises suggest personality disorders common to many fanatical dictators.

In his speeches, Ahmadinejad devolves into a hectic and incoherent stance in which his words go so beyond the limits of decorum that even some of his companions feel embarrassed about him — even the most inexperienced and insecure politicians rarely engage in spontaneous outbursts like he does. As a typical narcissist, he displays a skillful ability to deceive, manipulate and con the unwary, while seeming humble and sincere.

The self-proclaimed “street cleaner of the people” and the humble pretense of being a submissive Muslim can raise a bogus enthusiasm among his followers. However, his words echo hatred, threats and terror against others. His words have made the entire world “raise its eyebrows”. Even his supporters in the regime are shaking their heads in embarrassment. And yet, as loony as he may seem, it would be a grave mistake not to take him as a product of Islamic politics.

Since the hard-line president cannot accept criticism, he mocks – and proudly feels that everything is owed to him, that he is entitled to publicly call his own internal critics “goats or traitors”, including those within his own conservative alliance in the government. In a speech on 12 November 2007 at Tehran’s Science and Technology University, he denounced those critics as “traitors” to Iran’s nuclear programme. He went so far as to even threaten to name and to shame these internal critics unless they end their pressures for a change in his nuclear policy.

Prior to a “Holocaust denial conference” in December 2007, Ahamadinejad had initially denied in October 2005 that the Holocaust ever happened. His repeated comments suggesting that Israel be “wiped off the map” is stirring international ire, and they even caused some Iranian officials and lobbyists of the regime to play down his remarks, saying that Ahmadinejad did not mean to speak in such sharp terms.

Ahmadinejad’s bellicose and provocative remarks, at a time when Iran is under increasing international pressure over its nuclear ambitions, suggests that the man provokes or at least does not care about military attacks on Iran. His threatening words mirror the similar methods of the unpopular Islamic regime by creating the shadow of an external threat in order to keep control over its own oppressed people. Ahmadinejad serves the survival of the regime over his two terms, no matter how weird he is, and no matter how he has failed to rally people behind the regime. In the absence of democracy, he gains blind adherents from Muslim followers in the world and of course “sell out” intellectuals and lobby groups such as “CASMII” which is a lobby group created by his office in England. It now campaigns for Mr. Mashaei’s presidential run.

Mr. Mashaei is Ahmadinejad’s former vice-president and is known as a lunatic and unbalanced personality like Ahamadinejad.

Ahmadinejad is putting forward the Shiite sect’s vision for global domination. It should be noted that this runs parallel with the Sunni vision for global domination and both see the other as at least as great a threat as non-Muslims. The vision of such domination cannot coexist in any manner with peaceful rhetoric. Ahmadinejad’s words are the direct consequences of the regime’s world views and as such he was chosen as president by the leader of the Islamic regime to promote their world-view.

The “Supreme Leader”, Ayatollah (literally “sign of the god”) Ali Khameneh’i, was selected by the Hojattyeh-sect and he has served them for seven years. The Hojattyeh-sect is originally an anti-Bah’i sect.

Ahminejad and his close colleague Mr. Mashaei both are believed to belong to this sect.

The Hojjatieh-sect believes that human catastrophes hasten the reappearance of the Shiite 12th Imam after ca. 1000 years of occultation. The sect mirrors the messianic destruction and a new order for the world. Whatever one may think of Ahmadinejad and his messianic sect, any perceived insanity or instability can be best explained by his unshakeable belief in the ethos of the Shiite sect– with belief in the world catastrophe (“Armageddon”) and world destruction all leading to the coming of the Twelfth Imam and Islamic rule over the world. If one analyzes this belief, his words make perfect sense within this strict context.

Ahamdinejad not only serves the Islamic regime’s goals, he also speaks menacing words that could be used as an excuse for the “Key” powers to militarise the region, and for the Israeli government to play down its occupation of her neighbouring lands. Ahmadinejad’s provocations serve one or both of them to stoke the argument and prepare the context for military conflict with Iran.

Mr. Ahmadinejad’s language is a symptom of his personality disorder, suggesting how deep he is preoccupied with his own and his sect’s fantasies. Normal politicians may correct their words, but an abnormal politician like Ahmadinejad would give an explanation that is devoid of intellectual or moral justification, because it is enough for them that their words interpret what they want to do. Ahmadinejad has often argued that a great majority of scientists are corrupt, because they are serving corrupt governments that reject the path of Islam. By using such analogies, Ahamadinejad seeks refuge in his unreal world and its views all linked to his liege-Lord, the Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi.

His office has been collaborating with the most anti Semite right-wingers and lunatic sects around the world, “solders of the Twelfth Imam” in a messianic idea of saving the world from the “devil Jews, atheist communists, satanic illuminati by preparing the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam, as the saviour.” Ahmadinejad propagates the idea that he is in permanent contact with him, the Shiite Redeemer, and receives advice how to solve the world’s problems.

Ahmadiniejad’s constantly deteriorating behavior can be threatening even for his colleagues who can witness more signs of abnormality in his attitudes, language lapses, ridiculous gestures, and his swift changes of mood. It is said that the way he behaves towards his colleagues has led to the repeated change of his ministers and staff. It is believed that Mr. Ahamsdinejad follows a psychiatric treatment, but he acts as if he were not aware of his personality disorder.

Psychopaths are social predators who may charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life. They have traits such as glibness, grandiosity, lack of guilt, and shallow emotions, as well as social deviance traits such as impulsiveness, lack of responsibility, and antisocial behavior. Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, psychopaths are found in every segment of society, including in fields of politics. Throughout history there have been many psychopaths, even with the norms of generally accepted behaviour, who brought obscurantism, wars and catastrophes for their people.

Among many psychopathic dictators, notorious dictators like, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Hitler imposed restraints on progress and evolution of their societies. Each considerably set back democracy, civil right, and free thoughts under their totalitarian states. And of course, they killed millions of people. Ahmadinejad seems to be in the same psychopathic mold to commit the same degree of harm against humanity if he were politically in their powerful situation. Fortunately he is a “petty dictator”, but as long as the current Iranian regime exists, it will present like-minded dictators to the world.

Of course, the supreme leader, Ali Khameneh’i is the “string-puller” of any puppet-president in Iran. He deserves a much bigger share of blame for this state of catastrophe in Iran. Nevertheless his brutality is derived from Islamic teaching, not literally his psychosis. Ahamadinejad and his likes are well-placed to be president of such a pietistic regime. He is not the first or last psychopathic dictator, the way remains wide open for others.