To hear some commentators, you would think that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, was the most dangerous man in the world. In reality, he has almost no power whatsoever. He does not control Iran’s nuclear program. He does not control Iran’s military. If the Iranian parliament passes a bill and Ahmadinejad signs it, it does not become law because it can still be vetoed by the real powers-that-be…the Guardian Council of religious leaders and the head of the Guardian Council, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pundits who demonize Ahmadinejad are falling into a trap set by the true dictators of Iran, who use him as a lightning rod to divert attention away from themselves. In my book Tyrants: The World's 20 Worst Living Dictators, I included a chapter about Khamenei, which I reprint below. Those who are only interested in the period when Americans entered the scene can scroll down to the paragraph before the heading “THE SHAH.” For those who are only interested in Iran’s current leadership, you can scroll down to the heading “THE MAN.” However, Iran has a rich and fascinating history, and learning about this history makes it easier to understand how Iran reached its current position at odds with the Western world and ruled by a theocracy that does not enjoy the support of the majority of the population.
