Malignant visions

Building up a just and peaceful society is a very benign vision, though it may involve some tough societal interventions that make it malignant to some groups. Malignant visions include aspirations to conquer half the world and the proselytizing of non-believers through holy wars, especially when supported by modern weapons systems.

Visionary political leadership which adopts a fanatical stance is a regular feature of history that satisfies deep political needs, such as the search for enemies. International ideological cleavages, north-south conflicts, economic crises in poor countries, and modernization versus traditionalism are just a few of the features which are expected to increase the probability of malignant visionary political leadership.