The book is about the academician Henry Kissinger and not his role as a foreign policy maker. The book covers the whole history of modern diplomacy. A good thousand pages of solid academic work with proper references and examples. You would get a clear understanding of the diplomatic stance of Europe from the time of unification. Some significant milestones covered are:
- Napolean and Bismark
- First World War diplomacy.
- Roles of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson
- World War II and related events
- Stalin's Role and Nazi Pacts
- Cold War
- Korean War
- Suez Crisis
- Hungary Crisis
- Cuban missile crisis
- Vietnam
- Reagan and Gorbachov - end of the soviet union
Reading through the book, one realizes the events that affected the worldly events are influenced by the stance taken by the leaders and their beliefs way more than the people in general. The leaders' perception and world understanding have been seen in many of these decisions. Another leader at another time could have taken a different stance. Woodrow Wilson's emphasis on democratic principles, Eisenhower's no war under any circumstance, Nixon's focus only on national interest, and Reagan's denuclearization and cordial exchange with Gorbachov and the Soviet people have affected how the world experienced conflicts and came over them. Lastly, the book discusses an ideal new world order, which to me is not relevant as it's almost thirty years from the time the book was written. The book is for a scholar of foreign policy or international relations. Not a casual coffee table read.
No comments:
Post a Comment