The simple definition of a leader is “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.” Whether or not one is a good leader is circumstantial. Different types of leaders appear in different cultures, ruling with different styles. Hannibal of Carthage, described as a “killer, annihilator, and conqueror”, dominated against Rome. Caligula of Rome used sadistic brutality during his 1400 days of power. Ishmael Beah of Sierra Leone, triumphantly dominated as a child soldier and now as a present day activist. All three men possess unique comparative characteristics that qualify them into the category of a leader.
Hannibal, Beah, and Caligula all experienced remotely similar childhoods. Hannibal’s father Hamilcar Barca served as his motivation. At the age of 9, he watched his father lead troops into Spain for gruesome battles, allowing him to gain key warfare tips. According to YouTube video “Battles BC – Hannibal The Annihilator” by Zakerias Rowland-Jones, “Carthogenic reign in Spain was downright cruel. It was based fire, sword, and crucifiction.” Barca twistedly taught Hannibal the concept of “punish your own” and would often use public crucifixion for officers who failed to carry out their duties.
After an alleged assassination, the death of Hamilcar Barca left an urge for revenge lingering inside of a young Hannibal. Having to experience death at a young age also affected Caligula. While living a lavish noble lifestyle, his father Germanicus Sr. was poisoned in Syria by his brother Tyberius. Tyberius had Caligula’s mother and two brother’s exiled, ultimately resulting in their deaths. From that point out, Caligula was no longer the same and it was very evident that his family’s death had a major influence on him. Like Caligula, Beah too lost majority of his family. In his memoir, A Long Way Gone, he reminisces his traumatic experiences. After leaving his hometown of Mogbwemo, Sierra Leone to travel to Mattru Jong for a talent show, he unexpectedly left behind his mom, sister, dad, and grandmother. He and his brother Junior are eventually separated during an army raid in Mogbwemo, and Beah later witnesses him killed during his term as a child soldier at only the age of 12. The army uses Beah’s loss and love of his family as motivation for him to unethically kill. All 3 leaders possess the quality of empathy when it regards their families.
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The way upon which a leader executes his plan is crucial. While Hannibal and Beah took more callous approaches, Caligula made a mark as more of a mental fighter. Caligula originally presented himself to the Roman Senate as their ideal emperor. According to YouTube video “1400 DAYS OF CALIGULA – Full Documentary HD” by NWO Documentary Channel, “really hoped for something better from Caligula.” Caligula won over citizens by giving every family a cash gift, throwing lavish parties, and building “pleasure palaces”. This admiration resulted in him being deemed as “Father of Country” and allowed him keep control of the Roman citizens. The Senate could see right through his narcissistic tactics. Caligula regularly humiliated the Senators in attempt to hinder their power. Without the Senators in control, Caligula was able to abuse his power and orchestrate unusual punishments rooted in money. Hannibal and Beah on the other hand participated in classical warfare. Hannibal is notorious for using his diverse army to kill 7,000 men in one day, making him legendary at age 27.
His strategy of attacking using a semi-circle to trick enemy troops into pushing towards the middle to then attack using a deep V left the Romans surrounded. Beah served as a soldier for 3 approximately 3 years, fighting under the Revolutionary United Front. During his term, he earned his ranks through daunting murders of innocent civilians. Beah became immune to his horrible deeds from heavy use of drugs. He explains is his memoir A Long Way Gone, “I didn’t feel a thing for him, didn’t think that much about what I was doing. I just waited for the corporal’s order. The prisoner was simply another rebel who was responsible for the death of my family, as I had come to truly believe. The corporal gave the signal with a pistol shot and I grabbed the man’s head and slit his throat in one fluid motion. His Adam’s apple made way for the sharp knife, and I turned the bayonet on its zigzag edge as I brought it out. His eyes rolled up and they looked me straight in the eye before they suddenly stopped in a frightful glance, as if caught by surprise. The prisoner leaned his weight on me as he gave out his last breath. I dropped him on the ground and wiped my bayonet on him”. All three leaders possess the ability to use force to make a statement.
“All good things must come to an end” goes the saying. Beah makes a triumphant escape from his cruel rule while Hannibal and Caligula do not. Hannibal ultimately abandons his quest of Rome, never fulfilling his oath to his father. He wins majority of the battles, but never the war. Caligula’s selfish antics catch up to him, ultimately causing his demise. His proposal to move to Alexandria does not sit well with the Senate. A conspiracy against him led by Casseus Carrera then arises. He is ambushed and stabbed to death. Portarian guards then killed off every blood descendant of his except for his uncle Claudius. The Senate condemns Caligula’s memory, removing his statues in hopes of no physical representation. Ishmael Beah is rescued in by UNICEF, attends rehab, reconnects with his long lost uncle, starts school, and is able to move to New York CIty, New York for freedom and a higher education. He, unlike the others, uses his experiences for change. He now works as a human rights activist working towards a M.A. In an interview with The Kennedy School, Beah explains, “I want my involvement with preventing the use of children in war, and in generally promoting the respect for the human rights of all people, to go beyond just advocacy.”
Hannibal, Caligula, and Ishmael Beah all are deemed leaders by definition. Factors like their early upbringings, war tactics, and demise’s separate the three men. These factors also affected all three leader’s and their stance to the public eye as good or bad. “Annihilator” Hannibal, regardless of his brutal slaughterings, was a great military strategist with the ability to formulate foolproof attack plans. Caligula is often considered a psychopath but there was a method to his madness. Ishmael Beah killed,m but in his family’s honor.
