There may be advantages to keeping foes and opponents off … : This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale. In his book The Ends of Power, Haldeman recalled Nixon saying: I call it the Madman Theory. He and his administration tried to make the leaders of hostile Communist Bloc nations think Nixon was irrational and volatile. Madman definition: A madman is a man who is insane. Whereas the North Korean government is unlikely to believe that "Trump would do the same" because his threats are "standard operating procedure", not a temporary emotional reaction. Information about madman in the AudioEnglish.org dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. [7], The theory is believed by some to be a strategy used by U.S. President Donald Trump[2] in dealing with both allied and hostile nations. [5], The administration employed the "madman strategy" to force the North Vietnamese government to negotiate an end to the Vietnam War. Synonyms . We'll just slip the word to them that, "for God's sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about communism. By Kurt Andersen. This suggests that the peculiar and discordant makeup of the U.S. national security team — traditionalist lieutenants, disruptive boss — might reproduce the old Nixonian “madman theory.” The SensagentBox are offered by sensAgent. The thematic focus of Nixon's Nuclear Specter is Madman Theory threat making, which culminated in the secret, global nuclear alert. Get XML access to fix the meaning of your metadata. Tips: browse the semantic fields (see From ideas to words) in two languages to learn more. “Madman theory” is a political theory commonly associated with the U.S. President Richard Nixon. Find out more, an offensive content(racist, pornographic, injurious, etc. Digital object identifier: Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, History of the foreign relations of the United States, Foreign policy doctrines of the United States, https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21730055-some-friction-between-president-and-secretary-state-normal-not-rex, "The Madness Behind Trump’s ‘Madman’ Strategy", https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/26/opinion/the-madness-behind-trumps-madman-strategy.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region®ion=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region, http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/06/14/nixons_madman_strategy/, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/madman-theory-trump-north-korea/542055/, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/02/the-madman-theory-of-north-korea, "Did Thomas C. Schelling Invent the Madman Theory? I want the North Vietnamese to believe I've reached the point where I might do anything to stop the war. Definition of madman in the Definitions.net dictionary. Choose the design that fits your site. informal : a man who acts in a wild and uncontrolled way. C This article has been rated as C-Class on the project's quality scale. With a SensagentBox, visitors to your site can access reliable information on over 5 million pages provided by Sensagent.com. In the Nixon era, the logic of the madman theory, to the extent it was logical, was that a nuclear-armed superpower could effectively threaten a non-nuclear developing country. Called the “madman theory,” it depended on possessing a massive nuclear arsenal, then simply acting sufficiently erratic and unbalanced to convince people that you were crazy enough to use it. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. In his 1962 book, Thinking About the Unthinkable, futurist Herman Kahnargued that to “look a little crazy” might be an effective way to induce an adversary to stan… See the full definition for madman in … [5], This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. [1], On October 1969, the Nixon administration indicated to the Soviet Union that "the madman was loose" when the United States military was ordered to full global war readiness alert (unbeknownst to the majority of the American population), and bombers armed with thermonuclear weapons flew patterns near the Soviet border for three consecutive days. The Madman Theory is a really interesting take on Richard Nixon's foreign policy as it might have been applied to the Cuban Missile Crisis. [4], In October 1969, the Nixon administration indicated to the Soviet Union that "the madman was loose" when the United States military was ordered to full global war readiness alert (unbeknownst to the majority of the American population), and bombers armed with thermonuclear weapons flew patterns near the Soviet border for three consecutive days.  |  I want the North Vietnamese to believe I've reached the point where I might do anything to stop the war. Lettris is a curious tetris-clone game where all the bricks have the same square shape but different content. According to the theory, those leaders would then avoid provoking the United States, fearing an unpredictable American response. Get XML access to reach the best products. A man who is mentally deranged. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). [9] Privacy policy Learn more. Nixon explained the strategy to his White House Chief of Staff, H. R. Haldeman: I call it the Madman Theory, Bob. Add new content to your site from Sensagent by XML. ○   Lettris Nixon's Chief of Staff, H. R. Haldeman, wrote that Nixon had confided to him: I call it the Madman Theory, Bob. English Language Learners Definition of madman. The web service Alexandria is granted from Memodata for the Ebay search. Boggle gives you 3 minutes to find as many words (3 letters or more) as you can in a grid of 16 letters. 2. The Madman theory was the centerpiece of Richard Nixon's foreign policy The Madman theory was a primary characteristic of the foreign policy conducted by U.S. President Richard Nixon . We can't restrain him when he's angry—and he has his hand on the nuclear button" and Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace. man. madman (plural madmen) A male who is insane or mentally disturbed. He and his administration tried to make the leaders of hostile Communist Bloc nations think Nixon was irrational and volatile. Sagan, Scott D.; Jeremi Suri (Spring 2003). Synonyms: daredevil, devil, madcap… Find the right word. His administration, the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from 1969 to 1974, attempted to make the leaders of other countries think Nixon was mad , and that his behavior was … Proper usage and audio pronunciation (plus IPA phonetic transcription) of the word madman. Madman: a person who seeks out very dangerous or foolhardy adventures with no apparent fear. Not a medical term. At least nowadays such games are exemplified with a "crazy" (non-accommodating) player type among other scenarios.  |  ", "The Nukes of October: Richard Nixon's Secret Plan to Bring Peace to Vietnam", https://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/16-03/ff_nuclearwar, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Madman_theory?oldid=5276097. Theory, most either leave the concept of madness vaguely defined or adopt a narrow definition without considering whether the results would be the same under a different definition. ○   Boggle. Information and translations of madman in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on … Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Fearing an unpredictable American response, leaders of hostile Communist Bloc nations would avoid provoking the United States. The madman theory was an important part of Richard Nixon's foreign policy. ", Sagan, Scott D. and Jeremi Suri, "The Madman Nuclear Alert: Secrecy, Signaling, and Safety in October 1969,", Suri, Jeremi, "The Nukes of October: Richard Nixon's Secret Plan to Bring Peace to Vietnam,". See more. Furthermore it provides a fairly interesting portrait of President Nixon, though I am confused as to what the basis was for Simon's portrayal of the Nixons as a married couple. In 1517, Niccolò Machiavelli had argued that sometimes it is "a very wise thing to simulate madness" (Discourses on Livy, book 3, chapter 2). English Encyclopedia is licensed by Wikipedia (GNU). To apply some version of the Madman Theory to the North Korean problem, however, as Trump seems inclined to do, is foolish. A male of any age who continually rages in a social setting. This article is part of WikiProject Vietnam, an attempt to create a comprehensive, neutral, and accurate representation of Vietnam on Wikipedia.If you would like to participate, please visit the project page. [1][2], In his 1962 book, Thinking About the Unthinkable, futurist Herman Kahn argued that to “look a little crazy” might be an effective way to induce an adversary to stand down.[3]. Most English definitions are provided by WordNet . English thesaurus is mainly derived from The Integral Dictionary (TID). [6] Along the same lines, American diplomats, especially Henry Kissinger, portrayed the 1970 incursion into Cambodia as a symptom of Nixon's supposed instability. We'll just slip the word to them that, "for God's sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about Communism. Give contextual explanation and translation from your sites ! "[5], The madman strategy can be related to Niccolò Machiavelli, who, in his Discourses on Livy (book 3, chapter 2) discusses how it is at times "a very wise thing to simulate madness". madman: A regional slang term for phencyclidine (PCP), which refers to the frenetic response typically associated with its use. Madman definition, a person who is or behaves as if insane; lunatic; maniac. Meaning of madman. Definition of madman in the AudioEnglish.org Dictionary. A man who behaves in a violently destructive way: a madman who stabbed several people on a bus. Change the target language to find translations.  | Last modifications, Copyright © 2012 sensagent Corporation: Online Encyclopedia, Thesaurus, Dictionary definitions and more. ○   Anagrams Eco, Cookies help us deliver our services. "The Madman Nuclear Alert: Secrecy, Signaling, and Safety in October 1969". What does madman mean? Although in Nixon's Vietnam War, Kimball argues that Nixon arrived at the strategy independently, as a result of practical experience and observation of Dwight D. Eisenhower's handling of the Korean War. See also Thesaurus:mad person; Related terms . See if you can get into the grid Hall of Fame ! Jump to: General, Art, Business, Computing, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Religion, Science, Slang, Sports, Tech, Phrases We found one dictionary with English definitions that includes the word madman theory: Click on the first link on a line below to go directly to a page where "madman theory" is defined. [4], Nixon's use of the strategy during the Vietnam War was problematic. Second, Nixon had the misfortune to preside over a democracy growing weary and increasingly critical of the struggle. madman definition: 1. a man who behaves in a very strange and uncontrolled or dangerous way: 2. a man who is mentally…. Contact Us ○   Wildcard, crossword Madman theory revolves around the idea of appearing more "crazy" than one actually is.. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples This person tends to be extremely successful with members of both sexes and is often the life of the party wherever he goes. ), flew patterns near the Soviet border for three consecutive days, http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/06/14/nixons_madman_strategy/, http://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/16-03/ff_nuclearwar, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madman_theory&oldid=491711892, History of the foreign relations of the United States, Kimball, Jeffrey, "Did Thomas C. Schelling Invent the Madman Theory? ][citation needed] to Thomas Schelling, whose books The Strategy of Conflict and Arms and Influence discuss "the rationality of irrationality"[full citation needed] and how useful "the threat that leaves something to chance"[full citation needed] can be. 150–183. Letters must be adjacent and longer words score better. madwoman, madwomen; Translations . All rights reserved. An insane man. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies. Trump's use of the theory with North Korea has been similarly criticized, suggesting the chance of an accident arising from Korea's string of missile testing was also increased.[3][9]. Usage notes . 3. In 1517, Niccolò Machiavelli had argued that sometimes it is "a very wise thing to simulate madness" (Discourses on Livy, book 3, chapter 2). pp. The Madman Theory. The Madman theory was a primary characteristic of the foreign policy conducted by U.S. President Richard Nixon. Definition of madman noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. The English word games are: [3], The theory was criticized as “ineffective and dangerous,” by political scientist Scott Sagan and the historian Jeremi Suri, citing the belief that the Soviet leader Brezhnev did not understand what Nixon was trying to communicate and also the chance of an accident from the increased movements of U.S forces. To make squares disappear and save space for other squares you have to assemble English words (left, right, up, down) from the falling squares. The wordgames anagrams, crossword, Lettris and Boggle are provided by Memodata. The logic behind the strategy is commonly attributed[by whom? ‘The colossal irony is that a madman who rescued her from her folly was the same madman who later killed her.’ ‘Band members were flailing around like puppets under the control of a madman.’ ‘He has often been characterised as a madman or Satanic genius.’ His administration, the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from 1969 to 1974, attempted to make the leaders of other countries think Nixon was mad, and that his behavior was irrational and volatile. [2], The administration employed the "Madman strategy" to force the North Vietnamese government to negotiate a peace to end the Vietnam War. US President Richard Nixon is widely associated with his development and employment of the ‘madman’ theory of international diplomacy. Featuring a new and exclusive documentary, Madman Across The Water - The Making Of Elton John, the night also includes Elton John - BBC Radio 2 Electric Prom recorded earlier in the month and finishes with Elton John At The BBC, a compilation of archives documenting the star's career. : a man who has severe mental illness : an insane man. During the height of the Vietnam War, U.S. president Richard Nixon confided in his chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman, that he had devised a special strategy to end the war: He was trying to convince his Communist Bloc enemies, the Soviet Union and the North Vietnamese, that he was insane.