Manifestations of a head of state’s irrationality in media interviews

Abstract

The article examines the irrational aspects of a head of state’s behavior using the example of an interview given by vladimir putin to Tucker Carlson on February 6, 2024. Based on the analysis of the materials from this interview, the author investigated a specific case of the impact of such behavior on the formation of political discourse and the system of international stability. The hypothesis of the article is that the current mechanisms of international security prove most effective when political actors behave rationally but demonstrate weaknesses and inefficiencies in cases of abuse, irrational behavior, and aggression. The methodological framework of the article includes quantitative and qualitative content analysis as well as text mining. Additionally, the author conducted a detailed analysis of putin’s statements during an interview with Tucker Carlson on Lex Fridman’s podcast, published on February 28, 2024. The frequency of Putin’s use of specific words and their combinations (bigrams and trigrams) was also examined. Analyzing verbal and non-verbal elements of the narrative, key themes chosen by the interviewer and respondent allowed the author to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of political discourse within which they operate and to assess its impact on global systems of international security and political discourse. Behavioral economics research, particularly the work of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky on judgment formation and decision-making under uncertainty, informed the study, highlighting the influence of cognitive biases on decision-making processes. The analysis revealed numerous examples of the respondent’s irrational behavior, including cognitive biases, heightened emotional reactions, and conflicting statements, indicating a significant departure from rational approaches to discussing political and international issues. It was found that such irrational behavior significantly influences both the decisions he makes and the construction of the corresponding political discourse, which, as part of public discourse, shapes attitudes and beliefs among the international community, the public, and political elites.