Smokers' Corner: Myths of the ‘Madman’
Key takeaways
- Yet, there are those who claim he is instead an over-the-top practitioner of the ‘Madman Theory.’
- Former US President Richard Nixon coined the term during his tenure, even though the underlying strategy had been present in modern politics long before Nixon gave it a formal name.
- Indeed, it is quite common for hubris to emerge within a regime or in the person leading it.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Yet, there are those who claim he is instead an over-the-top practitioner of the ‘Madman Theory.’
This theory encapsulates a political concept suggesting that a leader can gain a significant advantage in international negotiations or crises by convincing opponents that he or she is irrational, unstable, or downright ‘crazy’.
Former US President Richard Nixon coined the term during his tenure, even though the underlying strategy had been present in modern politics long before Nixon gave it a formal name. Looking to force the communist forces in North Vietnam to sign a peace treaty that would guarantee an honourable exit of American troops from South Vietnam, Nixon told his Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman, that he had shaped a Madman Theory for this precise purpose.