It is not a coincidence that each of these men led for less than five years, and then died a violent death. Zealots serve a special and powerful purpose, but their sort of leadership can be cyclical and short-lived. The better they play their role, the less tolerable the environment becomes. Like flames that consume all available oxygen and fuel, Zarqawi and Robespierre became the agents of their own destruction. And because their leadership was tied to their ideological purity, compromise wasn’t an option. Zealots become corseted by their own followers’ expectations.
