2023-11-30 12:53:24
Press review from the British magazine The Economist.
In a recent workHenry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state during the Nixon and Ford administrations, who died on Wednesday, was examining how six leaders of the second half of the 20th century, whom he had known personally, had shaped their country and the world.
These six leaders form an eclectic group: Konrad Adenauer, Charles De Gaulle, Richard Nixon, Anouar el-Sadate, Lee Kuan Yew et Margaret Thatcher.
Two types of leaders
According to Henry Kissinger, there is essentially two types of leaders: the statesman and the prophet. Statesmen manipulate circumstances to their advantage and work for the benefit of society until reform of existing institutions becomes necessary. For their part, the prophets are ready, even willing, to break with the past, whatever the risk.
The feat of Charles de Gaulle, who managed to keep the idea of Free France alive in London in 1940, is for Henry Kissinger an almost mystical triumph of will over reality.
Konrad Adenauer, Richard Nixon and Margaret Thatcher exhibit most of the characteristics of the complete statesman in Henry Kissinger’s eyes. Konrad AdenauerWest Germany’s first postwar chancellor, envisioned a humble Germany capable of taking its place among other liberal democracies.
Richard Nixon was committed to using America’s economic and military might to lead the international system toward a long-term equilibrium that would make war among the great powers far less likely.
Margaret Thatcher believed passionately in individual autonomy and the capacity for national renewal — if the energies of ordinary people might be unleashed by the magic of the market economy.
The feat of Charles de Gaulle
On the other hand, Charles de Gaulle and Anwar el-Sadat were both driven by a prophetic ideal of what their country might and should become. The feat of Charles de Gaullewho managed to keep the idea of Free France alive in London in 1940, is for Henry Kissinger an almost mystical triumph of will over reality.
“No company can remain great if it loses faith in itself or systematically questions its perception of itself.”
The conviction ofAnouar el-Sadate that Egypt might never be independent and free without setting the terms for peaceful coexistence with Israel was rooted in a deep sense of his country’s long history.
Henry Kissinger wondered, in the conclusion of his work, whether today’s leaders have “the character, intelligence and tenacity necessary to meet the challenges facing the world order.” He was not optimistic.
Ultimately, for Henry Kissinger, faith in the future is the essential quality for leaders if they want to succeed. And he ended with a warning: “No society can remain great if it loses faith in itself or if it systematically questions its perception of itself.”
This article, published in The Economisthas been translated and summarized by us.
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