Iranians hold the nuclear program sacred for status, not destructive capability
Evidence
A second experiment (N = 579), replicated the experiment just described with one difference; it replaced “nuclear energy program” with “nuclear weapons program.” Intriguingly, whereas a similar percentage regarded the nuclear weapons program to be a sacred value, in this case the backfire effect was not replicated. While different interpretations are available, the evidence suggests that those who hold the nuclear program as sacred do so not because of its ability to provide weapons of mass destruction, but for other reasons—what the program implies about the independence and advancement of Iranian society. — Scott Atran and Jeremy Ginges, Sacred Values and Cultural Conflict, 80
Categorization
- QUESTION: This challenges instrumentally-minded sanctions policy — worth chasing what the backfire effect reveals about which aspect of an issue is actually sacred.
- XREF: Relates to the reader’s conviction-behavior divergence theme: professed sacredness over weapons vs. actual driver being dignity/status. — connects to: Iran’s nuclear ambitions are rational given its security environment