[Enchante]

"NEVER assume the other party is rational, especially, when they talk and act crazy."

This is an extremely important point that needs to be reiterated again and again. Moralistic Westerners in the Judaeo-Christian tradition constantly assume that others are really "just like us" underneath the most obvious cultural differences, that someone like the Iranian fascist could not be aiming to start a region-wide conflagration. Similarly, complacent Euros assumed in the late '30s that Hitler hated war the way they did and would never want a WWII. IN FACT, Hitler loved the idea of setting Europe on fire (though he thought it would all go his way), could only achieve his demented aims through one or more major wars, and his occasional anti-war rhetoric was just propaganda for the gullible.

[Thane_Banquo]

I think a lot of it also has to do with "game theory." Game theory mathematics works in certain simplified games where your optimal strategy is to assume your opponent is rational. If the other party isn't rational, your optimal strategy works even better than if the other party is rational.

A lot of advisors and theoreticians etc are schooled in game theory and use it in places it shouldn't be used.

Problem is with complex real-world games, your strategy differs significantly if the other party is irrational.