World Order.

AuthorCotter, Michael W.
PositionBook review

World Order, by Henry Kissinger, Penguin Press: New York, N.Y., 2014, ISBN-13: 978-1-59420-614-6, 374 pp. $21.60 (Hardcover), $18.99 (Kindle)

A major challenge for writers explaining current events for general audiences is to provide sufficient historical context without losing the intended focus. The challenge is particularly difficult when the goal is as broad as describing the current state of the world and outlining the challenges facing it, as Dr. Kissinger is attempting to do in World Order. The result, in a way, can best be described as several extended essays intended to encapsulate his world view past, present and future.

Dr. Kissinger is, of course, one of the best known and ablest proponents of realpolitik, what Wikipedia defines as "... politics or diplomacy based primarily on power and on practical and material factors and considerations, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral or ethical premises." In his view "world order" is dependent on power; who has it and how it is distributed, preferably in balance. Thus he begins with an analysis of European history, from the Thirty Years' War to the present, to demonstrate how the balance of power concept grew out of the series of treaties that established the "Peace of Westphalia" in the 18th century, and how after two major 20th century conflicts its relevance is diminished.

He then explores concepts of order in the Middle East from the Ottoman period to the present, with a detour to contrast U.S. and Iranian approaches. He describes East Asia from the appearance there of Europeans in the 15th century and muses on whether its future will reflect partnership or confrontation. In later chapters he analyzes several relationships as they pertain to world order now and in the future: how the U.S. and Iran differ on world order, how Asia might be ordered, and the rather unique American view of the role of their country in bring about world order. He then explores the impact of the nuclear, cyber and digital "eras" on the prospects for world order. Finally, he ends with what would be an excellent essay even without the background provided by the rest of the book--how world order has evolved, and where it might/could/should go from here.

Next, he takes two long chapters to describe how the American concepts of world order developed, contrasting Wilsonian idealism to the pragmatism of Theodore Roosevelt. He uses examples from conflicts in which the U.S. has engaged to show that the...

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