In America, we always describe our enemies as "madmen," but this is often a dangerous miscalculation. Here is my perception of what drives these men.
The Dictators/Evil Doers
Saddam Hussein (Iraq, ex-leader)- Would do anything to keep his power, including violently suppressing possible dissidents. Not a madman.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran)- A shrewd politician, who is trying to balance local support with international concerns. A nuclear bomb (at least 5-10 years away, and even then they couldn't deliver it to US shores) would make him an Iranian hero and militarily untouchable. Not a madman nor dangerous to Americans.
Hugo Chavez (Venezuela)- Egomaniac, even for a dictator. He sees himself as an anti-imperialist revolutionary. Not a madman.
Osama bin Laden (al-Qaeda)- I've never been convinced of exactly what his motivation has been. It has nothing to do with women showing their midriff and his antagonism towards America has to do with the country's actions not its principles. Not a madman.
Kim Jong Il (North Korea)- Little is known of Kim. That allows his portrayal as a madman hold a little tighter than the others. If he is a madman and has a nuclear bomb, that is fucking scary (for South Korea). However, if you're going to starve your people, you better devote all your resources to the military, shut off your society from outsiders, and kill dissidents, which Kim has done. So his actions seem to make sense. Let's put him in the category of eccentric egomaniac and not a madman.
Myself (grad student, George Mason University)- Fucking crazy.
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