all

all

MembersWhen Leaders Stop Choosing – From Pharaoh to Tehran

There are moments in history when power no longer acts rationally. Moments when leaders no longer weigh their options, but simply press forward, even when the path leads directly into the abyss.

Leaders
Propaganda poster in Tehran: Pictured are the now-deceased terror leaders (l. to r.) Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Photo: EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Why does an empire march into a parted sea? Why does a regime keep fighting even though it has long since lost? The answer is uncomfortable and highly relevant today: at some point, systems do not lose their strength — they lose their ability to choose.

 How is it that the most advanced military power of antiquity, the army of Egypt, the greatest empire of its time, consciously marched into a parted sea and perished? One must bear in mind what had happened before: ten plagues had systematically shaken Egyptian civilization. The Nile turned to blood. The harvests were destroyed. The livestock died. And just days before that final march, death had reached every house in Egypt — the firstborn, from the Pharaoh’s palace to the humblest servant. Egypt lay in ruins. And yet the Pharaoh’s army stormed into the parted waters. Voluntarily. With full force. Where was free will? Where was the most elemental human instinct — the will to survive?

BIBLICAL ANSWER

The biblical answer is not mystical. It is structural. And it...

Israel Today Membership

Become a Member

  • Read all member content

    Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel.

  • Get exclusive in-depth reports from Israel

    Connect with Israel, right from your home.

  • Lift up the voice of truth and hope

    Support Jerusalem-based Zionist journalism.

Already a member? .

About the author

Patrick Callahan

This is an example of author bio/description. Beard fashion axe trust fund, post-ironic listicle scenester. Uniquely mesh maintainable users rather than plug-and-play testing procedures.

Leave a Reply

Login