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TEHRAN — The Iran war may have less to do with nuclear and Hormuz strategy than previously thought, according to a growing body of NotTheGlobe analysis.
The central problem, analysts say, is testosterone.
Any reasonably sane leadership would probably have accepted U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed deal long ago, avoiding a war in the process. But Iranian pride, masculinity and a deep-rooted sense of historical superiority appear to have made compromise politically impossible.
"Accepting a deal is apparently easier when nobody in the room feels the need to prove who is the toughest man in Persia," said Dr. Farhad Mehran, a diplomatic expert at the Institute for Strategic Masculinity in Geneva.
The absence of a significant female negotiating influence may also be relevant, NotTheGlobe has been told. Professor Laleh Vaziri, a specialist in conflict psychology, said women are not necessarily more peaceful, but may be less inclined to regard every compromise as a referendum on national virility.
The result is a familiar diplomatic pattern: peace is available, but accepting it would require someone to look weak.
And in the Middle East, looking weak can apparently be more dangerous than going to war.