How to Dismantle a Narcissistic Regime : Shared by Kul Gautam

An interesting analysis on how to dismantle a narcissistic ruler & regime by my former UNICEF colleague, Stephen Hanmer.

Kul

 

Fracture the Mirror: How to Dismantle a Narcissistic Regime

Stephen Hanmer D’Elía, JD, LCSW
Substack
Click here for the article

Summary
This piece argues that narcissistic regimes do not fall by confronting the leader directly, since the leader’s psychology is fixed and fueled by attention. Instead, collapse occurs when the network of enablers around him—advisers, loyalists, donors, judges, media figures—decides the personal cost of maintaining his power has become too high. These enablers act as mirrors, reflecting his grandiosity and absorbing his failures; dismantling this scaffolding is what weakens the regime. The author describes how documenting contradictions, enforcing legal and professional consequences, applying social and reputational pressure, reducing media amplification, and increasing financial risk can shift the calculus for these actors. Supporters are not the strategic focus because they are emotionally fused with the leader, but enablers respond to incentives and fear. Over time, steady pressure creates fractures: loyalty contracts, defections spread, and the leader is left reflecting only himself.

Quotes
“A narcissistic regime does not fall when you confront the leader. It falls when the reflections around him crack.”
“This is not governance. It is maintenance.”
“Shift their risk calculus until the mirror costs more to hold than to drop.”
“Collapse is rarely dramatic. It is a slow contraction.”
“What breaks is not the man. What breaks is the system that upheld him.”