Democracy v. Terror, Round 3

To a recent comment from an earlier Round:

Yes, I'm aware of our inability to "control" Iran (Iran President Ahmadinejad, left), clearly a religious government. But Iran, even if you factor out decades-long engagement ineptitude towards them, actually proves my point.

Religious governments should be easier to control because they should be easier to understand. The problem is that we have a foreign policy blindspot where religion intersects with government. That's not to say religious governments are inherently easier to control. But they should be easier to manipulate with a concerted effort to understand the religious underpinnings.

Unfortunately, I believe that seldom happens. And when it does, its only to the degree it effects immediate state policy. When was the last time you heard of a Islam doctrinal expert in the US intelligence community -- someone who makes long-term forecasts about the evolution of a religion critical to the Middle East and many other places in the world?