World Order by Henry Kissinger

Description

Henry-Kissinger-offers-in World-Order a-deep-meditation-on-the-roots-of-international-harmony-and-global-disorder.-Drawing-on-his-experience-as-one-of-the-foremost-statesmen-of-the-modern-era—advising-presidents,-traveling-the-world,-observing-and-shaping-the-central-foreign-policy-events-of-recent-decades—Kissinger-now-reveals-his-analysis-of-the-ultimate-challenge-for-the-twenty-first-century:-how-to-build-a-shared-international-order-in-a-world-of-divergent-historical-perspectives,-violent-conflict,-proliferating-technology,-and-ideological-extremism.There-has-never-been-a-true-“world-order,”-Kissinger-observes.-For-most-of-history,-civilizations-defined-their-own-concepts-of-order.-Each-considered-itself-the-center-of-the-world-and-envisioned-its-distinct-principles-as-universally-relevant.-China-conceived-of-a-global-cultural-hierarchy-with-the-Emperor-at-its-pinnacle.-In-Europe,-Rome-imagined-itself-surrounded-by-barbarians;-when-Rome-fragmented,-European-peoples-refined-a-concept-of-an-equilibrium-of-sovereign-states-and-sought-to-export-it-across-the-world.-Islam,-in-its-early-centuries,-considered-itself-the-world’s-sole-legitimate-political-unit,-destined-to-expand-indefinitely-until-the-world-was-brought-into-harmony-by-religious-principles.-The-United-States-was-born-of-a-conviction-about-the-universal-applicability-of-democracy—a-conviction-that-has-guided-its-policies-ever-since.Now-international-affairs-take-place-on-a-global-basis,-and-these-historical-concepts-of-world-order-are-meeting.-Every-region-participates-in-questions-of-high-policy-in-every-other,-often-instantaneously.-Yet-there-is-no-consensus-among-the-major-actors-about-the-rules-and-limits-guiding-this-process,-or-its-ultimate-destination.-The-result-is-mounting-tension.Grounded-in-Kissinger’s-deep-study-of-history-and-his-experience-as-National-Security-Advisor-and-Secretary-of-State, World-Order guides-readers-through-crucial-episodes-in-recent-world-history.-Kissinger-offers-a-unique-glimpse-into-the-inner-deliberations-of-the-Nixon-administration’s-negotiations-with-Hanoi-over-the-end-of-the-Vietnam-War,-as-well-as-Ronald-Reagan’s-tense-debates-with-Soviet-Premier-Gorbachev-in-Reykjavík.-He-offers-compelling-insights-into-the-future-of-U.S.–China-relations-and-the-evolution-of-the-European-Union,-and-examines-lessons-of-the-conflicts-in-Iraq-and-Afghanistan.-Taking-readers-from-his-analysis-of-nuclear-negotiations-with-Iran-through-the-West’s-response-to-the-Arab-Spring-and-tensions-with-Russia-over-Ukraine, World-Order anchors-Kissinger’s-historical-analysis-in-the-decisive-events-of-our-time.Provocative-and-articulate,-blending-historical-insight-with-geopolitical-prognostication, World-Order is-a-unique-work-that-could-come-only-from-a-lifelong-policymaker-and-diplomat.