Photo/Illutration A demonstrator holds up a placard depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin during a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in front of the Russian Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, on March 1. (AP Photo)

U.S. President Richard Nixon had a trick up his sleeve for ending the Vietnam War.

He had his close aide tell the North Vietnamese: "Nixon is obsessed about communism. We can't restrain him when he's angry--and he has his hand on the nuclear button."

H.R. Haldeman, White House chief of staff at the time, recalled in "The Ends of Power" that Nixon called this ruse the "madman theory," the purpose of which was to frighten his opponent into submission by acting dangerously unpredictable.

Nixon never got around to actually pushing it. But more recently, some of former President Donald Trump's behavior could be characterized as an example of madman theory.

And now, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have gone all in.

Having ordered his deterrent nuclear forces on high alert, he has readied nuclear missiles and bombers for immediate deployment.

His recent statements are definitely not rational.

"Today's Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states," he boasted. And as a warning to anyone "who tries to interfere (with Russia)," he promised, "Russia's response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never experienced in your history."

But is this all just an act?

James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence, said in an interview with CNN, "I personally think he's unhinged. I worry about his acuity and balance."

His invasion of Ukraine was utterly out of line. What if Putin is also no longer capable of rational judgment regarding nuclear weapons? This is too terrifying to even imagine.

And if he is surrounded only by sycophants when he reaches a wrong decision, how fragile the foundation that holds up what's called deterrence could prove. ...

The abolition of nuclear weapons is an urgent task. And for that, the war unfolding now in Ukraine must be stopped.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 2

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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