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On China
by Henry Kissinger
by Henry Kissinger
Hadrian's review
bookshelves: asian, history, nonfiction, politics-and-foreign-policy, chinese
May 20, 11
bookshelves: asian, history, nonfiction, politics-and-foreign-policy, chinese
Read in May, 2011
Henry Kissinger's reputation remains controversial at best today, but many consider one of his most profound achievements in foreign policy to be the opening of China in the 1970s. Few, past or present, could dare to approach the depth of his expertise in this area.
The first few chapters of the book cover a broad outline of Chinese history up to the early 20th century, and ventures an explanation of the nature of their relations with other nations - primarily as tributary states, as all challengers were played off against each other, or were eventually absorbed. One metaphor that stood out was his usage of wei qi, better known in the west by its alternate form, go. The great game of politics is not like a decisive battle, as in chess, where all of the pieces are visisble and strengths can be calculated easily. Rather, it is a constantly shifting array of multiple factors, which can be negotiated only by a skilled professional.
The meat of the book concerns the latter part of the 20th century. The inner machinations and major players of the enigmatic government, from the charming Zhou Enlai to the paradox of Mao, to the reformer Deng Xiaopeng, and outlines of some of the modern day leaders too. The ups and downs of China's relationship with the world, particularly with the US, are explored with good detail and piercing analysis.
One of the main criticisms that can be made about the book - and the author - is his adherence to Realpolitik, at the very real detraction of moral issues. His almost neutral reaction to the events of Tienanmen Square is a bit shocking, but still interesting nonetheless. His criticisms of Mao are far too understated to be considered a form of mere diplomacy.
The end of the book offers a pragmatic but optimistic view of the future of Sino-American relations. These two nations have the power to shape the world for the better, if they both want it.
All things considered, this is an extremely valuable look at the situation, and of paramount interest to anybody interested in international politics. Recommended.
The first few chapters of the book cover a broad outline of Chinese history up to the early 20th century, and ventures an explanation of the nature of their relations with other nations - primarily as tributary states, as all challengers were played off against each other, or were eventually absorbed. One metaphor that stood out was his usage of wei qi, better known in the west by its alternate form, go. The great game of politics is not like a decisive battle, as in chess, where all of the pieces are visisble and strengths can be calculated easily. Rather, it is a constantly shifting array of multiple factors, which can be negotiated only by a skilled professional.
The meat of the book concerns the latter part of the 20th century. The inner machinations and major players of the enigmatic government, from the charming Zhou Enlai to the paradox of Mao, to the reformer Deng Xiaopeng, and outlines of some of the modern day leaders too. The ups and downs of China's relationship with the world, particularly with the US, are explored with good detail and piercing analysis.
One of the main criticisms that can be made about the book - and the author - is his adherence to Realpolitik, at the very real detraction of moral issues. His almost neutral reaction to the events of Tienanmen Square is a bit shocking, but still interesting nonetheless. His criticisms of Mao are far too understated to be considered a form of mere diplomacy.
The end of the book offers a pragmatic but optimistic view of the future of Sino-American relations. These two nations have the power to shape the world for the better, if they both want it.
All things considered, this is an extremely valuable look at the situation, and of paramount interest to anybody interested in international politics. Recommended.
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Dec 07, 2012 03:21pm
Your comments are useful and profound. I enjoyed them.
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Like it or not, this is a world of realpolitik. The opening to China was the result of the threat of a major world war starting on the Usuri River in 69. Do We stand aside and let the Russians annihilate a major counterbalance on the Eurasian landmass? The Russians sounded us out on just that option. Thank God we decided to warn the Russians off. As for the future, China is not ours to run. It's governance in the end is up to the Chinese. Western Democracy never treated the Chinese well. The best webcam do is to maintain our strength,
I essentially agree with you. The great questions of international relations largely concern power - whether military, economic, political, or perhaps even broader concerns of 'soft power' and personal influences.As for the military incident you describe, Kissinger discusses this in greater detail in Diplomacy. It was this touch-point, after decades of Sino-Soviet tensions, which brought about this foreign policy coup - but not even directly. It was very delicately communicated through the Romanians and Pakistanis, and inviting the journalist of the Sino-Japanese War, Edgar Snow, to stand next to Mao in Tiananmen. Tricky stuff!
The future, as always, is uncertain. I do not think anything like our conceptions a democracy was ever implemented on the mainland for an extended period. Sun Yat-Sen's First Republic was very quickly beset by warlords and coups, as the necessary preconditions for a democracy were not yet met.
As for whether contiguous China can be run by a Western style democracy today, it is perhaps possible, although I do not think that it could happen immediately, if at all, nor could I pretend any illusions on how it would be (Would it be more like India or Taiwan?).
Will the US maintain its strength? Perhaps. We'll see.
