World Order

"...the state is a fragile organization, and the statesman does not have the moral right to risk its survival on ethical restraint." P195 This dense but highly readable 2014 overview of international relations could be seen as Henry Kissinger's response to Fukayama's infamous "End of History" essay of 20 years earlier: history hasn't ended, because history isn't necessarily (Kissinger makes occasional gestures towards morality) a progressive evolution toward a superior set of universal principles. "For nations, history plays the role that character confers on human beings. ... one can distinguish three different approaches to international order. ... the policy of the state ... vigilant in protecting its borders, respectful of other nations' sovereignties, willing to participate in alliances - in effect, pursuing its national interests by Westphalian principles. There is also the tradition of empire, which ... sought to eliminate the autonomy of its surrounding countries as far as its power could reach. Finally, there is ... jihad ..." P167 (Specifically a description of Iran, but jihad might be understood to be any expansionist ideology.) "The United States needs to develop a strategic view of the process in which it is engaged. ... For the balance of power is never static; its components are in constant flux." P169 "...they must not ... base ... policy on projecting their own domestic experience as inevitably or automatically relevant to other societies..." P158