其实,金正恩不是唯一使用类似策略的领袖。已故美国总统尼克逊(Richard Nixon) 对付北越及其他共产阵营国家就常扮成「疯子」那样。例如派轰炸机连日飞近苏联边境,「忽然」出兵柬埔寨推翻施汉诺政权等。尼克逊对幕僚说,只要令北越共党领袖感到他情绪不稳及随时可能发动核战,他们将更愿意坐到谈判桌(For God's sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about Communism. We can't restrain him when he's angry- and he has his hand on the nuclear button and Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace)。从效果而言,尼克逊的疯狂举动的确有作用,至少北越较以往愿意谈判,最终越战也是透过和谈解决。