A 2008 study by a Pentagon think tank has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have Asperger’s syndrome, “an autistic disorder which affects all of his decisions.”
The report was one among many developed by Brenda Connors, an expert in movement pattern analysis at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, and her colleagues who are contractors for the Office of Net Assessment (ONA), an internal Pentagon think tank that helps in devising long-term military strategy, reported USA Today.
The document was made public as part of a Freedom of Information Act request, the report said.
Connors wrote that Putin’s neurological development was “significantly interrupted” during infancy and observed that his movements revealed that the Russian leader was suffering from a neurological abnormality.
The report quoted Dr. Stephen Porges, a University of North Carolina psychiatry professor, as saying that Putin’s behavior and facial expressions revealed someone “who is defensive in large social settings.”
The study said that “his primary form of compensation is extreme control,” which reflects in his style of decision-making and governing.
Porges noted that the behavioral pattern observed in Asperger’s are also observed in individuals who find it difficult to stay calm in social settings and have low thresholds to be reactive and advised that having a “one-on-one situation” with Putin at a quiet place is preferable to a “big state affair.”
However, the researchers said that it was impossible to prove their theory about Putin without performing a brain scan on the Russian president.
Putin’s actions have remained under scrutiny after Russia annexed Crimea from neighboring Ukraine.
Connors’ team has conducted several studies on the Russian leader for ONA beyond those from 2008 and 2011, the report said. (ANI)