Trump’s unpredictable Iran stance mirrors Nixon’s Vietnam-era madman theory. But does projecting chaos actually work, or does it risk weakening credibility over time?
The exchange, recorded on March 28, 1971, captures Kissinger informing Nixon about a dissent cable from US Consul Archer Blood in Dacca, who had reported large-scale killings of civilians.
The conversation at 10.45 am Washington time was dutifully recorded and released as part of historical documents for the period by the State Department many decades later.
When late US President Richard Nixon launched his “War on Cancer” in 1971, the ambition was audacious: find a cure within a decade.
In his second term, US President Donald Trump has turned unpredictability into a core strategic doctrine.
In Sukumar Roy’s more-than-a-century-old stories on ‘Pagla Dashu’, Dashu was a crazy schoolboy who could spoil a drama at a school function or set off crackers in the classroom. His acquaintances were always afraid of any mischief from him.
Richard Nixon, who served as President Eisenhower’s Vice President, lost the 1960 US presidential election to John F. Kennedy and then the California Governorship to Edmund ‘Pat’ Brown in 1962. The post-election press conference was quite dramatic, a dejected Nixon even announced his complete withdrawal from politics.
Jay Sekulow, Trump's personal attorney, said in a statement, "We are pleased that the Supreme Court granted reviews of the president three pending cases".
No Republicans broke ranks to vote in favour of the measure, while two Democrats joined what they call the Republican stonewall.
The element of audacity and implications of the recent Trump-Kim summit in Singapore can only be equated with the Nixon-Mao…
