Us Grand Strategy and the Madman Theory

US grand strategy and the Madman Theory: From Nixon to Trump explores how U.S. presidents have used calculated unpredictability as a tool of foreign policy — and the dangers that come with it. Richard Nixon pioneered the tactic, projecting a volatile persona to pressure adversaries like North Vietnam and the Soviet Union into concessions, hoping they’d fear he was unhinged enough to go nuclear. Decades later, Donald Trump revived the approach in his own chaotic, improvisational style, leveraging erratic behavior to keep both allies and enemies off balance. While Nixon's version was tightly controlled and behind the scenes, Trump’s was a public spectacle, blurring strategy with impulsiveness. This book examines how both leaders weaponized perception to gain leverage, and what that reveals about power, psychology, and leadership on the world stage. A gripping, timely look at how madness—real or performed—can be a feature, not a bug, in American diplomacy.