When Strongmen Fall, Power Rarely Follows Cleanly

The fall of a strongman does not end a regime so much as expose the machinery beneath it, where armed institutions, fear, and habit decide whether power reforms itself or hardens into something more dangerous.

WAR MACHINE

The gears keep turning long after the shooting stops, grinding youth into dust, spitting them home hollow and loud-eyed, and then dressing the damage up with a neat little “thank you for your service.”