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The Madman Theory
From praising dictators to alienating allies, Trump has made chaos his calling card. Has his strategy caused more problems than it solved?
Richard Nixon tried it first. Hoping to make communist bloc countries uneasy and thus unstable, Nixon let them think he was just crazy enough to nuke them. He called this “the madman theory.” Nearly half a century later, President Trump has employed his own “madman theory,” sometimes intentionally and sometimes not.
Trump praises Kim Jong-un and their “love notes,” admires and flatters Vladimir Putin, and gives a greenlight to Recep Tayyip Erdogan to invade Syria. Meanwhile, he attacks US institutions and officials, ignores his own advisors, and turns his back on US allies from Canada and Mexico to NATO to Ukraine to the Kurds at war with ISIS. Trump is willing to make the nation’s most sensitive and consequential decisions while often ignoring the best information and intelligence available to him. He continually catches the world off guard, but is it working?
In The Madman Theory, Jim Sciutto shows how Trump's supporters assume he has a strategy for long-term success – that he is somehow playing three-dimensional chess. Now that we are four years into his presidency, we can see his unpredictable focus on short-term headlines has in fact lead to predictably mediocre results in the short and long run. Trump’s foreign policy has undermined American values and national security interests, while hurting allies who have been on our side for decades, leaving them isolated and vulnerable without American support. Meanwhile, he comforts and emboldens our enemies. The White House’s revolving door of staff demonstrates that Trump has no real plan; all serious policymakers—and those who would be a check on his most destructive impulses—have been exiled or jumped ship.
Sciutto has interviewed a wide swath of current and former administration officials to assemble the first comprehensive portrait of the impact of Trump’s erratic foreign policy. Smart, authoritative, and compelling, The Madman Theory is the definitive take on Trump’s calamitous legacy around the globe, showing how his proclivity for chaos is creating a world which is more unstable, violent, and impoverished than it was before.
Richard Nixon tried it first. Hoping to make communist bloc countries uneasy and thus unstable, Nixon let them think he was just crazy enough to nuke them. He called this “the madman theory.” Nearly half a century later, President Trump has employed his own “madman theory,” sometimes intentionally and sometimes not.
Trump praises Kim Jong-un and their “love notes,” admires and flatters Vladimir Putin, and gives a greenlight to Recep Tayyip Erdogan to invade Syria. Meanwhile, he attacks US institutions and officials, ignores his own advisors, and turns his back on US allies from Canada and Mexico to NATO to Ukraine to the Kurds at war with ISIS. Trump is willing to make the nation’s most sensitive and consequential decisions while often ignoring the best information and intelligence available to him. He continually catches the world off guard, but is it working?
In The Madman Theory, Jim Sciutto shows how Trump's supporters assume he has a strategy for long-term success – that he is somehow playing three-dimensional chess. Now that we are four years into his presidency, we can see his unpredictable focus on short-term headlines has in fact lead to predictably mediocre results in the short and long run. Trump’s foreign policy has undermined American values and national security interests, while hurting allies who have been on our side for decades, leaving them isolated and vulnerable without American support. Meanwhile, he comforts and emboldens our enemies. The White House’s revolving door of staff demonstrates that Trump has no real plan; all serious policymakers—and those who would be a check on his most destructive impulses—have been exiled or jumped ship.
Sciutto has interviewed a wide swath of current and former administration officials to assemble the first comprehensive portrait of the impact of Trump’s erratic foreign policy. Smart, authoritative, and compelling, The Madman Theory is the definitive take on Trump’s calamitous legacy around the globe, showing how his proclivity for chaos is creating a world which is more unstable, violent, and impoverished than it was before.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2020
283 people are currently reading
384 people want to read
About the author
Jim Sciutto
5 books72 followersJim Sciutto is CNN’s Chief National Security Correspondent and CNN Newsroom Anchor based in Washington, D.C. He reports, anchors. and provides analysis across the network's programs and platforms on all aspects of U.S. national security, including foreign policy, the military, and the intelligence community. Prior to joining CNN, Sciutto served as ABC News' senior foreign correspondent. - Amazon bio
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 5, 2020
This is a surprisingly nuanced and fair examination of President Trump's foreign policies and decision making processes, and I've already seen other reviews complaining it's either pro-Trump or biased against Trump.
Jim Sciutto actually makes an effort to fairly present the Trumpian worldview, which rejects the long held American exceptionalism mindset and rejects America's role as the world policeman and security guarantor, with the US instead just one of many actors on the world stage, albeit more powerful than most, pursuing a transactional foreign policy that equates economic security with national security, views traditional allies as economic competitors, opposes military occupations and interventions, and deals equally with authoritarian or democratic states without preconditions.
Based on statements and interviews from highly placed and often named sources, Sciutto also presents Trump's erratic, impulsive decision making and management style, that often leaves even his closest advisers and appointed officials scratching their heads and wondering what exactly the policy is. Essentially, Trump's unstable personality is the biggest detriment to his administration's foreign policy positions.
Along the way, Sciutto gives voice to a variety of sources, many highly placed and mentioned by name, who make arguements both in favor of and against Trump.
Definitely worth reading regardless of where you stand on Trump and especially if you want a Trump book that is factual and analytical rather than sensational, speculative, and catering to an audience of a particular political persuasion.
Jim Sciutto actually makes an effort to fairly present the Trumpian worldview, which rejects the long held American exceptionalism mindset and rejects America's role as the world policeman and security guarantor, with the US instead just one of many actors on the world stage, albeit more powerful than most, pursuing a transactional foreign policy that equates economic security with national security, views traditional allies as economic competitors, opposes military occupations and interventions, and deals equally with authoritarian or democratic states without preconditions.
Based on statements and interviews from highly placed and often named sources, Sciutto also presents Trump's erratic, impulsive decision making and management style, that often leaves even his closest advisers and appointed officials scratching their heads and wondering what exactly the policy is. Essentially, Trump's unstable personality is the biggest detriment to his administration's foreign policy positions.
Along the way, Sciutto gives voice to a variety of sources, many highly placed and mentioned by name, who make arguements both in favor of and against Trump.
Definitely worth reading regardless of where you stand on Trump and especially if you want a Trump book that is factual and analytical rather than sensational, speculative, and catering to an audience of a particular political persuasion.
August 31, 2020
This was a very entertaining book, especially after having lived through the past 3 1/2 years of the "Chump" administration. The Trumpies will, of course, poo pah, the book because it is the truth of what we have all lived through. Sciutto discusses all of the ins and outs of Trump's mishandling of the current COVID-19 crisis, his pandering to dictators (Putin, Xi, Jung-Un...just to name a few), refusing to take responsibility for anything bad that happens, within this country, refuses to acknowledge that "his base" is responsible for much of the recent unrest, continues to insist that he is enraptured with Obama and Hillary, and that 3+ million illegal voters cost him the popular vote 3 1/2 years ago. I can go on and on, but what's the point. Sciutto uses facts and bases much of what he tells on first-hand experiences as a journalist, both here, domestically, and as an engaged journalist overseas for several years. I believe he is very objective...he has no ax to grind (wasn't fired by Trump and is not a relative). If you've been paying attention, for the past 42 months, you will find yourself reliving U. S. history through this fact based book; although, again, Trumpies will consider it all...fake news.
November 22, 2020
I remember feeling chills as I read about the madman theory Nixon employed, intentionally trying to appear a little bit deranged and unpredictable in an attempt to force adversaries to back down. It was like playing chicken, only instead of two cars rushing headlong, you have the entire United States in the back seat. A moronic imbecile with zero ethics like Trump playing a similar game has been a frightening thing. It’s simple bald luck that we have not seen some terrible military escalation during this chaotically catastrophically awful tenure which is mercifully coming to an end.
Many have called on Democrats and critics of Trump to focus less on that fact that he’s a xenophobic racist isolationist chauvinist illiterate egomaniac who has followed a checklist that looks disturbingly close to a “How to set up a nazi state 101” manual, and have suggested a bigger focus on pointing out solid reasons why Trump’s policies are bad. In this often repetitive and disorganized book, it has to be conceded that Jim Sciutto does a decent job of laying out how Trump’s policies have been, by and large, complete flops. The bluster and promises of really taking China to task, and the reality that the final trade deal was pretty lackluster and has not halted China’s further emboldenment and militarization. The “fire and fury” tweets and threats to North Korea followed by the pointless summits that generated zero results, all while North Korea expanded and accelerated its nuclear arms programs. The abandonment of the hard-fighting Kurdish allies in Syria, and the resulting expansion of Russian and Iranian gains in that region along with the Turkish invasion of Syria. The soft-pedaled responses to growing Iranian activities through the region. The refusal to sanction Russia. The dismissal of all intelligence community data and evidence. The attempted extortion of the Ukraine. It’s an exhausting walk down memory lane, and while it is true no major new military expeditions have begun in these last four years and while it is true the “Trump is tough on China” in a way former presidents failed to be, the balance sheet on Trump’s foreign policy cannot reasonably be read as anything approaching a success. Often, in fact, there has been no policy, just Trump’s misguided and ineffective gut instincts, or his reactionary triggered whims. If there is a logic to Trump’s measures, Sciutto perhaps sums it up best as a policy of “minimize, politicize, demonize the experts, and rarely strategize.”
I shudder to think where four more years of this insanity would have led us. We have significant damage clean-up to do already.
Many have called on Democrats and critics of Trump to focus less on that fact that he’s a xenophobic racist isolationist chauvinist illiterate egomaniac who has followed a checklist that looks disturbingly close to a “How to set up a nazi state 101” manual, and have suggested a bigger focus on pointing out solid reasons why Trump’s policies are bad. In this often repetitive and disorganized book, it has to be conceded that Jim Sciutto does a decent job of laying out how Trump’s policies have been, by and large, complete flops. The bluster and promises of really taking China to task, and the reality that the final trade deal was pretty lackluster and has not halted China’s further emboldenment and militarization. The “fire and fury” tweets and threats to North Korea followed by the pointless summits that generated zero results, all while North Korea expanded and accelerated its nuclear arms programs. The abandonment of the hard-fighting Kurdish allies in Syria, and the resulting expansion of Russian and Iranian gains in that region along with the Turkish invasion of Syria. The soft-pedaled responses to growing Iranian activities through the region. The refusal to sanction Russia. The dismissal of all intelligence community data and evidence. The attempted extortion of the Ukraine. It’s an exhausting walk down memory lane, and while it is true no major new military expeditions have begun in these last four years and while it is true the “Trump is tough on China” in a way former presidents failed to be, the balance sheet on Trump’s foreign policy cannot reasonably be read as anything approaching a success. Often, in fact, there has been no policy, just Trump’s misguided and ineffective gut instincts, or his reactionary triggered whims. If there is a logic to Trump’s measures, Sciutto perhaps sums it up best as a policy of “minimize, politicize, demonize the experts, and rarely strategize.”
I shudder to think where four more years of this insanity would have led us. We have significant damage clean-up to do already.
April 24, 2024
This was an interesting read but I didn’t learn anything new about Trump. He is cruel and dumb and gullible. I did find the reactions of other countries to Trump’s foreign policy/lack thereof to be the most fascinating part.
September 18, 2020
I initially had a difficult time figuring out how I was going to rate the book. I was either going to rate the book from the perspective of 1) How I felt about the book's presentation of its context or 2) The relevancy and accountability of the social - ideological issues that affect and plague our government and its systems.
I decided to go with the second option. If I went with the first option, I would have gave the book a 3 of 5. But I decided to go with the concept that really matters and relates to the book - politics.
What I did like about this book, was that it allowed me to obtain a level of communicative understanding with the revolving social political issues that ravish in the world's government systems. The ravishing concepts and ideological political issues that ravish in the world's government systems, is very much illustrated in this book. Provides a clear idea of what the issue really is revolving around.
The context in this book provides a clear ideology of the revolving social political factors that the issues in which the government are in "Political Debate" or what Trump refers to as, "Negotiated contracts".
Reading this book, and really applying the formal academic skills from Political Science courses, allows the reader to really broaden their understanding of the factors that are underlying being referenced as the issues of concern.
By utilizing these Professional rationalizing skills from college, ables the reader to generate a "logical web" of what really is the big picture, that causes this issue to be so "Political". Issue to be so "threatening to society."
I decided to go with the second option. If I went with the first option, I would have gave the book a 3 of 5. But I decided to go with the concept that really matters and relates to the book - politics.
What I did like about this book, was that it allowed me to obtain a level of communicative understanding with the revolving social political issues that ravish in the world's government systems. The ravishing concepts and ideological political issues that ravish in the world's government systems, is very much illustrated in this book. Provides a clear idea of what the issue really is revolving around.
The context in this book provides a clear ideology of the revolving social political factors that the issues in which the government are in "Political Debate" or what Trump refers to as, "Negotiated contracts".
Reading this book, and really applying the formal academic skills from Political Science courses, allows the reader to really broaden their understanding of the factors that are underlying being referenced as the issues of concern.
By utilizing these Professional rationalizing skills from college, ables the reader to generate a "logical web" of what really is the big picture, that causes this issue to be so "Political". Issue to be so "threatening to society."
August 29, 2020
Factual information about DJT's ability to act rationally and consistently was never so fascinating than listening to it while watching the Trump boldly violating both federal law and tradition by holding his acceptance speech and huge fireworks display on federal grounds. Of course, he didn't violate the law. Of course not. He's well on his way to a second term and democracy in the USA is on its way out. He wasn't kidding when he suggested to the crowd that they chant "12 more years" and during the speech after talking about law and order, looting and anarchy in Democratic cities, spread his arms toward the White House and said "Isn't it beautiful. What do we call it (long pregnant pause) and then you know he want you to fill in blank with WHITE! Fascist rule AmeriKKKa and Q guides the way.
August 30, 2020
A terrific exploration of Trump administration foreign policy, such as it is, directed by the immature and uninformed impulses of 45. Sciutto does an excellent job of breaking down and explaining the many layers and influences, clarifying details that may have gotten lost or muddy among Senate hearings and news reports. This was particularly the case in his examination of the Ukraine extortion campaign for which Trump was impeached.
Even for those who follow politics and current events closely, this book presents explanations and clarifications from many of those directly involved that greatly expand the understanding of the chaotic Trump years. I wish everyone could read this book before the 2020 election.
Even for those who follow politics and current events closely, this book presents explanations and clarifications from many of those directly involved that greatly expand the understanding of the chaotic Trump years. I wish everyone could read this book before the 2020 election.
August 25, 2020
A terrific analysis for a novice. He gives a great explaination of US foreign policy, what it was and what has basically changed. Book organization is superb. Each chapter highlights the basic questions and ends with a summary. I truly enjoyed it!
October 13, 2020
Author tries to show the good and bad of Trump. Shows how he makes decisions without the advice of advisors or staff. Unpredictable even to those who work with him. Decisions are made on short term transactional basis, not long term. Interesting book, glad I read it.
September 6, 2020
Insightful. A deep dive into Trump's "foreign policy" and the danger in which his administration has put America.
October 3, 2020
Jim Sciutto writes clearly and has the world experiences to connect the dots on seemingly disparate events. Superb.
November 9, 2020
Pretty evenhanded review of Trump foreign policy. I'm sure plenty of people on both the left and the right will have issues with it.
May 31, 2021
Sciutto spends time in the book looking at various foreign policy objectives of the US under Trump and whether or not he's met them.
In order to "both-sides" the argument, the author praises Trump for "opening the door to diplomatic suggestions" but then talks about the utter failure in engagement as though the two were somehow of equal magnitude. Similarly, Sciutto judges Trump ending "the US patients with European allies' failure to contribute" to the NATO budget as a positive on one hand, as against the total undermining of the unity of the bloc as an equal negative.
It would be a joke if any other leader had such a meagre list of achievements in a whole term and such a litany of failures.
The takeaway from the book is that the country under the administration set very low goals for themselves and consistently failed to meet them.
In order to "both-sides" the argument, the author praises Trump for "opening the door to diplomatic suggestions" but then talks about the utter failure in engagement as though the two were somehow of equal magnitude. Similarly, Sciutto judges Trump ending "the US patients with European allies' failure to contribute" to the NATO budget as a positive on one hand, as against the total undermining of the unity of the bloc as an equal negative.
It would be a joke if any other leader had such a meagre list of achievements in a whole term and such a litany of failures.
The takeaway from the book is that the country under the administration set very low goals for themselves and consistently failed to meet them.
October 11, 2024
The famous “Madman Theory” was born during Nixon’s era, where he got his way through unpredictable and terrifying threats. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.
The real issue comes when the “madman” is truly unpredictable, like Trump. His chaotic reactions and refusal to listen to his advisors had global consequences.
This book reveals how Trump made such absurd decisions that his own generals often chose to ignore them, hoping he’d forget within a couple of weeks. And guess what? He did.
Now this “madman” could return to the presidency of the U.S. Are we ready for that? It’s frightening—not just for the world, but for our northern neighbors too.
The real issue comes when the “madman” is truly unpredictable, like Trump. His chaotic reactions and refusal to listen to his advisors had global consequences.
This book reveals how Trump made such absurd decisions that his own generals often chose to ignore them, hoping he’d forget within a couple of weeks. And guess what? He did.
Now this “madman” could return to the presidency of the U.S. Are we ready for that? It’s frightening—not just for the world, but for our northern neighbors too.
April 19, 2022
Jim Sciutto is one of the best writers of modern times. I love his use of aliteration and the skilful way he organises his information and for the way his writing effortlessly flows.
As a Never Trumper, I found his unbiased approach to be extremely frustrating, but that is also one of the finer attributes of his approach!
As a Never Trumper, I found his unbiased approach to be extremely frustrating, but that is also one of the finer attributes of his approach!
September 17, 2020
More insight into the mayhem of the Trump presidency. I am a moderate conservative. I don’t believe everything I read about Trump. But I do believe that he is a chauvinist, narcissist with no integrity. Sciutto does a fair job of telling the story.
November 1, 2020
Madman or NUTJOB
A deep illustration of Trump's irreverence of his sick approach to governing
A total NUTJOB
A warlock disguised as a president casting a devious spell on our country
A deep illustration of Trump's irreverence of his sick approach to governing
A total NUTJOB
A warlock disguised as a president casting a devious spell on our country
December 26, 2020
This book, though it is a good book with a lot of Trump's foreign policy put together in one place, was a little disappointing because of the lack of significant new reporting that I expected going in.
May 4, 2021
*shudder*
May 15, 2022
After reading Shadow War, I had high expectations for this new Sciutto book. Sadly, it lacked the insight of the earlier book. A good read, but not a lot ground-breaking here.
February 9, 2023
Following a policy of bullying, #45 used this as the basis for the country’s foreign policy.
November 15, 2024
This felt really thought out and I loved how it was put together. Great job!
November 11, 2024
You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.
Mr. Book just finished The Madman Theory: Trump Takes On The World, by Jim Schutto.
This is the second book by this author that I have had. I gave The Shadow War: Inside Russia’s And China’s Secret Operations To Defeat America an A in August 2019.
This book is about the dangers that Trump presents, viewed mostly through the lens of foreign policy, but also some with domestic policy. It was published in June 2020, with several months remaining in his first term.
Each chapter addresses a particular question, such as America First or Trump. First, whether Trump would sacrifice Ukraine for his own interests and whether Trump can influence Kim Jong Un.
The strongest chapters was the one on whether even his advisors trust him. The book went into detail about his decision making process and how little attention he pays to the information that he gets, especially what he doesn’t want to hear.
I give this book an A.
Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on August 20, 2020. He finished rereading it on November 11, 2024.
Mr. Book just finished The Madman Theory: Trump Takes On The World, by Jim Schutto.
This is the second book by this author that I have had. I gave The Shadow War: Inside Russia’s And China’s Secret Operations To Defeat America an A in August 2019.
This book is about the dangers that Trump presents, viewed mostly through the lens of foreign policy, but also some with domestic policy. It was published in June 2020, with several months remaining in his first term.
Each chapter addresses a particular question, such as America First or Trump. First, whether Trump would sacrifice Ukraine for his own interests and whether Trump can influence Kim Jong Un.
The strongest chapters was the one on whether even his advisors trust him. The book went into detail about his decision making process and how little attention he pays to the information that he gets, especially what he doesn’t want to hear.
I give this book an A.
Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book originally finished reading this on August 20, 2020. He finished rereading it on November 11, 2024.
November 26, 2022
Interesting take on the state of play from 2016/2020 in politics from someone who knows what they’re talking about.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews