Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy

Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of war and human rights abuses, along with accounts of racism and cultural insensitivity. 

Henry Kissinger begins by stating that political leadership is especially important for helping a society balance a respect for the past and its visions of the future. Political leaders must understand what their people want while navigating the limits of circumstance, inspiring them while retaining the power to coerce them. When societies are in the midst of a profound transition, Kissinger observes, such leadership is more important than ever, as there are some virtues worth preserving even when it is clearly necessary to adapt to new conditions. Kissinger adds that leaders are forced to make very difficult decisions under severe constraints, both in terms of the choices available and the resources at their disposal. They are acting furthermore at the same time as other people in a comparable position, and so the art of strategy is making such decisions based on an assessment of one’s own capabilities and interests along with the capabilities and interests of others. Leaders can learn much by studying history and seeing how those before them have acted wisely or foolishly, but Kissinger claims that this is insufficient, as the future is unknowable and unpredictable. It is better to view strategy as an art rather than a science, since it is more about capturing an undefinable essence rather than following a precise formula.

Kissinger states that the book will provide six case studies in leadership, all from the post–World War II era and all people whom Kissinger encountered personally. Europe, which had started the 20th century with a prevailing attitude of liberal optimism, was utterly traumatized by the wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. Europe had dominated global politics for centuries, but the wars sapped them of their resources and self-confidence. Konrad Adenauer, Charles de Gaulle, Richard Nixon, and Margaret Thatcher would each assume leadership of a major Western power (respectively West Germany, France, the US, and the UK) in the postwar era, while Anwar Sadat and Lee Kuan Yew grew up as colonial subjects in states that would win their independence, largely as a result of the world wars. Kissinger claims that they all stand as examples of the leader’s ability to exercise decisive influence, for both good and ill.

Crisis leadership, states Kissinger, assumes two ideal types: the statesman and the prophet. The statesman is ultimately trying to “preserve their society by manipulating circumstances rather than being overwhelmed by them” (xxiii). They accordingly tend toward caution, more worried about the dangers that come from excessive ambition. They understand the need for change but will try to weave new factors into existing institutions. Prophets look to transcend existing institutions, and “redefine what appears possible” (xxiv). Despite the sharp contrast between the two modes, Kissinger states that he believes it is possible for one person to play both parts at different times.

Modern historiography, Kissinger observes, tends to downplay the significance of the individual, emphasizing vast structural forces. Such forces certainly exist, but not apart from human agency, and those who have witnessed the accomplishments of great leaders recognize their singular importance.