Let me first recap the Malign narcissistic grandiosity that is
characteristic of all dictators and tyrants. Typical symptoms of
grandiosity that can be observed in your typical autocratic
ruler/megalomaniac like Meles Zenawi are:
Continual claims for
attention and admiration
Cold and uncaring behavior toward others
Other people are seen only as an extension of the self to be
manipulated and/or eliminated as needed; an inability to relate to
people as people or separate from oneself
Inflated/exaggerated sense
of self-importance.
The massive turnout of Ethiopians for burial of the legendary
Ethiopian singer Tilahun Gessese may have ticked his deranged mind to
envy and made him turn to his usual shock tactic and arrests 35
people on fabricated charges.
His narcissistic cruelty can be demonstrated by his use of strong
words and phrases intending to govern by fear and intimidation. May
2005 after loosing the election he said: “Anyone to subvert the
constitutional order will be crushed in the buds. Once the red line is
crossed , the only option we have is to fight and all that happens in
such circumstances will happen” This amount to deceleration of war on
Ethiopian people who crossed his red line demanding freedom and
democracy. Meles didn’t stop at his words, he did kill many and sent
thousands to concentration camps.
Let’s remember that these tyrants are not psychiatric patients. They
do not seek help; nor do they believe that anything is wrong with
them. They believe they are entitled to unlimited praise and
deference. They believe that their will and their desire is all that
is important.
An individual with such psychological characteristics may have had
some advantages in rising to power, and his behavior may have been an
effective response to some real-life factors, but once he has
consolidated his position his reality-testing capacities diminish.
Fantasies held in check when his power is limited are apt to become
his guides to action. As a consequence, his behavior becomes more
erratic, he runs into difficulties in meeting his goals, and his
paranoid defenses become more exaggerated. The finale of a tyrant’s
career depends on the particulars of his political and social
situation.
The political and social situation in Ethiopia now is more
than favorable to force him to his well deserved narcissistic
breakdown. The opposition political parties can play a pivotal role in
this process if they just can understand the nature of the beast they
are dealing with. First, with regard to a narcissistic it must be
remembered that what you are confronting is basically a bully . And a
bully will only stop bullying when it is absolutely clear to him that
he cannot win. In other words, a show of overwhelming force that is
direct, clear and unambiguous is what is needed. If he senses any
ambiguity or lack of resolve on the part of the political parties ,
he will snicker at his cleverness and exploit your indecision to the
fullest possible extent as he did on several occasions previously. The
best predictor of future behavior is past behavior; and Zenawis past
behavior gives us nothing much to support optimism that he will
suddenly exhibit good behavior`.
Evil must be addressed, head on and relentlessly. If you are unsure
about what is and isn’t real evil, you are indeed an idiot or inverted
narcissist (= The narcissist willing mate) who helps prolong the
suffering of Ethiopian people.
The only cure for malignant narcissist is for him to meet reality he
can not fake .Usually the treatment is fatal and the cure is
permanent. The reality treatment is best applied by Ethiopians and not
by anyone else. Ethiopia desperately needs a democracy which
encourages peace,human rights, accountability, economic sanity,
respect to creeds, respect for the weak and leadership by peoples
choice and not by imposition.
Spectrum of narcissism can extend from benign form which most of us have (certain degree of self interest is healthy) to a more serious forms of self-obsession including malignant narcissism and psychopathy. Malignant narcissism is high end of narcissistic severity which all dictators share .
Deciding what is normal mental health and what is not is tricky. Sometimes the answer is pretty clear. Individuals like Melees Zenawi, Adolf Hitler, Idi amin, Mugabe and the likes can never be classified as mentally healthy.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a 2-inch-thick book which classifies and describes more than 300 types of mental disorders. The book, published by the American Psychiatric Association, is used by mental health providers to diagnose everything from anorexia to voyeurism. According to DSM the above individuals fall in the category of mental disorder called Narcissistic personality disorder
Traits of narcissistic personality disorder include the following:
Preoccupation with fantasies that focus on unlimited success, power, intelligence
Belief that he or she is “special” and unique, and can only be understood by other special people
Expectation that others will automatically go along with what he or she wants
Inability to recognize or identify with the feelings, needs, and viewpoints of others
Envy of others or a belief that others are envious of him or her
Hypersensitivity to insults (real or imagined), criticism, or defeat, possibly reacting with rage, shame, and humiliation
Arrogant behavior and/or attitude
The Following are some of the symptoms narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) that can be seen in the the tyrant Melese:
He misrepresents facts, opportunistically shifts positions, ignores data that conflicts with his fantasy world, is overly confident and acts as statesman despite commensurate merits and narcissistic life achievements. Considers himself above the low, displays false modesty while sublimating aggression and grudges. As a narcissist he has the emotional maturity of a child, or even an animal, but the intellect of a man. What makes this guy dangerous is his lack of consciousness combined with his high self-serving intelligence and his superb performance that has fooled and outsmarted many. As a malignant narcissist his survival is dependent upon having control or the perception of control. When the control is challenged , he feels threatened and responds as though his very survival is at stake.
He has surrounded himself with codependents, enablers and followers and if anyone of them challenge his authority he just discards them as they never existed, because the victim only matters in relation to how he can support the grandiosity of the tyrant; beyond that he is faceless nameless and worthless.
Malignant narcissism is a syndrome consisting of a cross breed of the narcissistic personality disorder , the antisocial personality disorder as well as paranoid traits, all of which manifested in our dictator. The sufferer of this disorder is an emotional vampire, cruel and sadistic and enjoys other persons suffering. Most of the serial killers fall in this category.
We should all agree to the idea that those who want to be leaders of any country submit to rigours mental check-ups prior to being trusted as prim minsters or presidents as millions of lives depends on sanity of these leaders.
