[News Terms] The Threat of 'Nuclear War' Whenever It Seems Forgotten... The 'Madman Strategy'

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, reportedly stated in his policy speech at the Supreme People's Assembly on the 15th that "in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula, we will completely occupy, pacify, and recover the Republic of Korea and incorporate it into the territory of the Republic," according to the Korean Central News Agency. Chairman Kim also instructed to amend the constitution to designate the Republic of Korea as the 'primary hostile country' and 'unchanging main enemy,' and to remove expressions related to peaceful reunification.

Experts explain that Kim's remarks are intended to soothe internal unrest amid severe economic difficulties in North Korea and to provoke inter-Korean conflicts. There is also an analysis that this is an extension of the 'Madman Strategy' aimed at escalating nuclear development and war threats. The calculation is to secure the status of a nuclear power while observing the South Korean general election in April and the U.S. presidential election situation.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un delivered a policy speech at the Supreme People's Assembly held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang on the 15th, according to Korean Central TV on the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Madman Theory, a term in international politics, argues that it is advantageous to make the negotiating opponent perceive oneself as an irrational madman. The strategy is to be seen as an unpredictable person who might do anything if provoked or harmed, instilling fear and thereby gaining an advantage in negotiations. It is also called the "madman theory" (狂人理論) in other words.

In the early 1970s, U.S. President Richard Nixon and White House National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger made other world leaders think of them as impulsive, irrational, and unpredictable leaders. They wanted to be believed as figures who could potentially trigger a nuclear war, so that the Soviet Union or the Third World would not provoke the United States. The Nixon administration used the fear of nuclear war to influence the Soviet Union to pressure North Vietnam, ultimately leading to the end of the Vietnam War negotiations.

Recently, Israel can be considered a country that actually uses the Madman Strategy in international relations. When the Palestinian armed group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel in October last year, Israel immediately unleashed large-scale attacks on Hamas and continued indiscriminate retaliation. It has also raised concerns about the spread of war by risking military clashes with neighboring Arab countries such as Iran, which supports Hamas, as well as Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also threatens world peace by brandishing nuclear weapons whenever it seems appropriate. In October last year, he announced the successful launch of Russia’s nuclear cruise missile and revealed plans to resume nuclear testing for the first time in 33 years. Saying, "If anyone is sane, no one would dare challenge Russia," he shocked the world with a veiled threat.