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ISSN: 1304-7310 (Print) | 1304-7175 (Online) http://www.uidergisi.com.tr
BOOK REVIEW
Henry KISSINGER
, Leadership: Six Studies in
World Strategy (New York, Penguin Press,
2022)
Kenan ŞAHİN
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Science, National Defence University, İstanbul
To cite this article: Kenan Şahin, “Henry Kissinger, Leadership: Six Studies in World
Strategy (New York, Penguin Press, 2022)”, Uluslararasi Iliskiler, Advanced Online
Publication, 1 December 2023, pp. 1-3.
Submitted: 30 September 2022
Last Revision: 25 November 2023
Advanced Online Publication: 1 December 2023
Uluslararası İlişkiler – International Relations
E-mail: uidergisi@gmail.com
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published by the International Relations Council of Turkey (IRCT). With the exception of
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do not reflect those of the Council, editors of the journal, and other authors.
Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy
Henry KISSINGER
New York, Penguin Press, 2022, 732 pages, ISBN (e-book): 9780593489451
Kenan ŞAHİN
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Science, National Defence University, İstanbul
E-mail: ksahin@dho.edu.tr
Orcid: 0000-0001-7404-6608
Henry Kissinger examines six national leaders in his recent book, Leadership: Six Studies in
World Strategy. These leaders are Konrad Adenauer from West Germany, Charles de Gaulle
from France, Richard Nixon from the United States of America (US), Anwar Sadat from Egypt,
Lee Kuan Yew from Singapore, and Margaret Thatcher from the United Kingdom (UK). The
book focuses on how the lives and political strategies of these influential leaders from the
second half of the twentieth century redirected their nations and what made them effective in
world politics. In addition, Kissinger’s anecdotes explain the difficulties these leaders faced
while rebuilding their countries after World War II and the qualities that caused them to have
long-lasting effects.
Kissinger’s diplomatic experience is as significant as the content of the book. Although
famous worldwide, he is one of the most controversial diplomats. Kissinger, who fled the Nazis
as a child and sought refuge in the US, worked as a national security advisor and Secretary of
State during the Richard Nixon administration. Kissinger, who survived the Watergate Scandal
and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for his role in ending the Vietnam War, served as
Gerald Ford’s Secretary of State. After completing these duties, he continued to advise many
US presidents. Undoubtedly, critical assignments made him read world politics in depth. He
has been a key figure in global politics since the Cold War. However, Kissinger has an approach
that ignores human rights violations to keep the international balance and the vital interests of
the US. He continues to place particular emphasis on power and national interest in politics.
Kissinger points out at the beginning of the book that courage, strong character, and
taking risks between the past and the future are significant for leadership (p. 14). For him, good
leaders are conscious of their limitations and capable of appreciating history and envisioning
the future. In this context, Kissinger speaks of two archetypal leaders: the “prophet” who
creates a new social order and the “statesmen” who improve and enhance current conditions
(p. 23-25). Statesmen try to achieve the most incredible balance between vision and risk by
analyzing requirements based on circumstances. Although statesmen manage change, they are
conservative in preserving the core of their societies. On the other hand, prophets are ready to
Online First Book Review, 01 December 2023, p. 1-3
ULUSLARARASI İLİŞKİLER | INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
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ULUSLARARASI İLİŞKİLER | INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
break with the past, whatever the risks. Because the prophets believe that their political role
in the realization of the values they defend is employing “good principles”. For these reasons,
they effectuate significant historical transformations. Accordingly, Akhenaten, Jean d’Arc,
Robespierre, Gandhi, and Lenin are prophetic historical leaders. At the same time, Palmerston,
Gladstone, Disraeli, Bismarck, Roosevelt, Atatürk, and Nehru are considered statesmen.
Meanwhile, Kissinger chose leaders who did not conflict with the interests of the
US and worked in harmony with these interests. According to him, these leaders were born
outside the confines of the aristocratic elite that dominated politics and especially foreign
policy (p. 509). Apart from the leader of Singapore, the religiosity of the other five leaders is
a standard feature (p. 513). Another common feature is Kissinger’s belief that these leaders
used history effectively and that they influenced people under their administration. Besides, all
six leaders with modest qualities are appreciated by Kissinger. Despite this, Kissinger ignored
the democratic sensitivities of the leaders in their own countries, how they handle the law, and
their perspectives on how they use it.
The book is comprised of six chapters, apart from the introduction and conclusion.
Drawing on Kissinger’s personal experiences, these chapters discuss different leaders. In
the first chapter, Kissinger presents Konrad Adenauer who, with his “strategy of humility”,
helped the Germans rise again after World War II. According to Kissinger, Adenauer made
critical moves to regain the reputation and legitimacy of the Germans by acknowledging
Germany’s reckoning with its past for a better future. In addition, Chancellor Adenauer
made post-war West Germany essential to NATO and Europe. Kissinger then pays tribute
to Charles De Gaulle’s willpower on the road to the Fifth Republic in France. He describes
De Gaulle’s success in forming a government in exile, which, despite his weak political
experience, enabled the transition from a divided country to a stable and prosperous state.
He portrays a visionary leader who saved France from the disaster of Algeria and raised his
country’s confidence.
In the chapter titled “the strategy of equilibrium”, Kissinger conveys the initiatives of
Richard Nixon, with whom he worked between 1969 and 1974, from the expulsion of the US
from Vietnam to developing relations with China and the promise of peace to the Middle East.
He describes Nixon, the only US president who had to resign from his post, as a meticulous,
courageous, and creative leader and portrays him as one of the key players in the Cold War.
Yet, he sees the independence process in Bangladesh and the secret bombing of Cambodia as
developments that served American national interests.
The fourth chapter covers Anwar Sadat, who had a different approach from other Arab
allies due to his focus on peace negotiations with Israel. Kissinger says that these policies,
which he describes as bold initiatives in the chapter titled “the strategy of transcendence”,
brought Egypt away from the Soviet Union and closer to the US. In the next chapter, Lee
Kwan Yew, who established a powerful city-state in Singapore, seems to have won Kissinger’s
appreciation with “the strategy of excellence”. Kissinger praises Yew, who led Singapore from
1959 to 1990, for his vision of transforming a small island with cultural diversity and poverty
into a global economic and financial center.
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Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy
After five male leaders, the book examines Margaret Thatcher, whom Kissinger sees
as a close friend. Kissinger sympathizes with Thatcher in the episode titled “the strategy of
conviction” and believes she halted her country’s decades-long decline and boosted morale.
He discussed her importance for the free market, her attitude in the Cold War, the Falklands
War with Argentina in 1982, and her approach to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Kissinger
claims Thatcher was as influential in changing the British community as De Gaulle in France.
Overall, with the impact of an accomplished life and vast experience of almost a century
behind him, Kissinger compellingly and persuasively presents his testimonies through the
cases and political lives he witnessed after World War II. Besides the events and leaders
discussed, the book’s narratives about Kissinger’s role in post-World War II history are
abundant. According to Kissinger, it is not yet clear where excellent and effective leadership
will come from today. In such a period, leaders seem detached from their communities and
reluctant to take responsibility for the world’s problems. Kissinger states that a talented and
unique leader like the six he discusses has yet to emerge. The book has powerful messages
in understanding how international politics is shaped by leadership and diplomacy and the
transformations created by unexpected changes. In his concluding remarks, he emphasizes
the importance of leaders being aware of the changes brought about by the internet and the
technology age, where visuality is essential. Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy is a
necessary read for anyone interested in global leadership, diplomacy, power relations, and
problems in the world. Those who want to rethink leaders’ roles in future politics should read
the book.