Hubris (الغطرسة او جنون العظمة) and Nemesis ( الانتقام او العقاب) : on the character of Bashar Al-Assad

In his book: Beware the Hubris-Nemesis Complex: A Concept for Leadership Analysis,the author, David Ronfeldt, refers to the concepts of Hubris and Nemesis in Greek literature to analyse the complex of power madness manifested in the mania of destruction which afflicts megalomaniac leaders. He writes:

“In Greek literature, hubris often afflicted rulers and conquerors who, though endowed with great leadership abilities, abused their power and authority and challenged the divine balance of nature to gratify their own vanity and ambition. Thus hubris was no common evil:   It led people to presume that they were above ordinary laws, if not laws unto themselves—to presume they deserved to exceed the fate and fortune ordained by the gods.”

He then proceeds to explain what he calls the Hubris-Nemesis concept:

“This complex involves a combination of hubris (a pretension toward an arrogant form of godliness) and nemesis (a vengeful desire to confront, defeat, humiliate, and punish an adversary….  The combination has strange dynamics that may lead to destructive, high-risk behaviour.  Attempts to deter, compel, or negotiate with a leader who has a hubris-nemesis complex can be ineffectual or even disastrously counterproductive when those attempts are based on concepts better suited to dealing with more normal leaders.”

I believe we all have experienced such a leader in the form of our Bashar Al-Assad. The legendary abnormality of his behaviour does indeed drive us to seek explanations in myth and the collective inheritance of mankind in the form of psychotic leaders turning butchers and resorting to genocide. When will those who support him, or do not understand the dire need to remove him, come to realize that it is by the universal will of the parliament of the world in, addition to the will of the Syrians, that he should be removed from office, that he must cease to exercise power so that Syria and the Syrian people might live.

Alisar Iram, November 8, 2012

©Alisar Iram