• About
    • Mission
    • Biographical Information
    • Contact Us
  • Defense
  • Energy
  • Logistics
  • Innovation
  • In the News
  • Follow
  • Like
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
February 6, 2015February 10, 2015Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

← Back
← Previous Post
Next Post →

Putin Autistic? A Dumb Diagnosis Highlights How Nuclear War Could Happen (From Forbes)

February 6, 2015February 10, 2015Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Medical experts who review the Pentagon psychological profile of Vladimir Putin unearthed by USA Today this week aren’t going to be impressed.  It’s probably wrong in diagnosing the Russian leader as a victim of autism.  However, it still highlights a key problem in U.S. nuclear strategy: foreign leaders who don’t think like us, and therefore are harder to deter.  U.S. policymakers assume that the threat of massive retaliation will dissuade other nations from attacking, but leaders like Hitler who have mental disorders might completely mis-interpret the signals Washington sends — making nuclear war more likely.  So in addition to modernizing our nuclear arsenal to continue deterring “normal” adversaries, maybe we should be building missile defenses to protect America from leaders with the kinds of mental-health issues the Pentagon study of Putin highlighted.  I have written a commentary for Forbes here.

Print | PDF | EMail

Find Archived Articles:

This entry was posted in Defense, Early Warning Blog. Bookmark the permalink.
Sign Up For
LexNext Emails
1600 Wilson Boulevard - Suite 203
Arlington, VA 22209 USA
Phone: 703.522.5828
Fax: 703.522.5837
© 2023 Lexington Institute

Sign Up for LexNext Emails

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign Up for LexNext Emails

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.