"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad" - True... but why?

I am thinking, here, about the Western leadership class. That they are mad is clear, that they are en route to utter destruction I believe. That is where the 'madness' comes in. 

That 'the gods' wish to extirpate the Western leadership class seems obvious, and the reasons why are also obvious; but for the requisite irreversible annihilation certainly to happen requires that the elites become insane - not merely in losing their spontaneous sense of self-preservation, but actively willing self-annihilation. 

Otherwise, sans lunacy, a sane elite would pull-back just enough to avert nemesis; and survive to wreak further havoc. 

Since the gods want to ensure this does not happen, they first ensure that the Western leadership are mad.

(Reposted, slightly edited, from 2010.)