Why Don't Western Elites and Governments Comprehend International Realities?

It's about maps and territories, perceptions and actualities—and yes, sanity. Although Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini explained back in 1979: 'We didn't make the Iranian revolution to lower the price of watermelons', many of the 'elite' in the West don't get it. The failure of much of the Western media, educational, and government leadership to change their maps regarding Islamist fundamentalism sure doesn't seem like sanity to me. Barry Rubin tries to understand Why Don't Western Elites and Governments Comprehend International Realities?