A Review of "World Order"

A Review of “World Order”

The World Order was written in 2014 by Henry Kissinger a veteran U.S diplomat who has served in the U.S foreign apparatus for years. According to his bio, he has served as the national advisor and secretary of state during Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations and also he has provided advice to many other American presidents on issues of foreign affairs.

He is the winner of 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Freedom in addition to other awards. He is a prolific writer and has penned down a series of other books on foreign policy and diplomacy such as A World Restored…, Nuclear Weapon..., The Necessity for Choice…, The Troubled Partnership…, American Foreign Policy, White House Years, Years of Upheaval, Diplomacy, and Years of Renewal, Does America Need a Foreign Policy, Ending the Vietnam War…, and Crisis…

Summary of the book

This book contains 377 pages (except the endnotes and index) which begins with an introduction questioning the world order followed by a glimpse on diversities of the world order and two prevalent pillars of world order within Westphalian Systems such as legitimacy and power.

Introduction and Chapter One

Generally, the book comprises an introduction, 9 chapters, and a conclusion. Under each chapter, there are subtitles. For instance, chapter one begins with the “Europe: The Pluralistic International Order”. It discusses the peculiarity of the European Order, the thirty years of sweeping war ending by Westphalian Accord and finally legitimacy. This chapter elaborates the Peace of Westphalia, the Operation of Westphalian System [i], the French Revolution and its aftermath.

Chapter Two: The European Balance of Power System and Its Ends

It begins with a subtitle as “The Russian Enigma” which provides an account of Russian Invasion of French and ending Napoleon. It goes further and pinpoints an era which Russia plays a unique role in Europe and disturbs the Westphalian Order with encroachment and expansion. As a result of Russian rise in the Europe, other major players are almost overturned and the Westphalian Order ends. A new order comes in place under the “Congress of Vienna”. It is followed by other subtitles such as “the Premises of International Order”, “Metternich and Bismark” (two key figures in shaping the new order), “The Dilemma of the Balance of Power”, “Legitimacy and Power Between the World Wars”, “The Post-War European Order” and “The Future of Europe”.

“Chapter 3: Islamism and the Middle East”

It begins with “ A World in Disorder”, followed by “The Islamic World Order”, “The Ottoman Empire….”, “the Westphalian System in the Islamic World”, “Islamism: the Revolutionary Tide-…”, “the Arab Spring and the Syrian Cataclysm”, “The Palestinian Issue and International Order”, “Saudi Arabia” and “The Decline of the State”. It gives a clear picture of the Islamic world ravaged by radicalism.

“Chapter 4: The United States and Iran”

This chapter discusses … and heavily concentrates on Iran’s stance on “Arab Spring” as “Islamic Awakening” as a sign of opposing to Western outlook, then it shifts to historic Iran where it was a dominant civilization in the Middle East and it was not expected to become a haven of Islamic radicalism. In a deeper sense, it discusses the Khomeini Revolution; the influence of Qutb’s thought and promptly transfers to nuclear agenda of Iran. A fair portion of the chapter is allotted to this phenomenon.

Chapter 5: The Multiplicity of Asia

This chapter talks about the homogeneity of European countries to one another and the heterogeneity of Asian countries from the viewpoint of power equilibrium. Specifically, the chapter illustrates Japan and India as examples of the Asian variety.

“Chapter 6: Toward an Asian Order: Confrontation or Partnership”

The chapter discusses China’s distinct position in Asian international order and then shifts to a debate on China’s role in the World Order. Finally, under “A longer Perspective”, Chinese-U.S relation is discussed in detail and mostly in favor of the U.S.

 Chapter 7: “Acting for All Mankind: the United State and its Concept of Order”

This chapter portrays the U.S’s role in the world stage in the wake of World War I when Europe is inflicted by a devastating war and the U.S is safe and evolves to a dominant country in the world. The chapter analyzes the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Roosevelt and the New World Order.

Chapter 8: The United States: Ambivalent Superpower

This chapter embarks on the beginning of the Cold War, continues to Strategies of Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam and the Breakdown of the National Consensus, Richard Nixon and International Order, the Beginning of renewal, Ronald Regan term and the End of Cold War, the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars and the purpose and the possible.

Chapter 9: Technology, Equilibrium and Human Consciousness

This chapter discusses the emergence of the nuclear age, challenges, proliferation, Cybertechnology and human factor and the foreign policy in the digital era.

Conclusion: World Order in our time?

Evolution and where we will go from here. In contrast to the conventional approach, the “Acknowledgement” is added at the end of the book.

o   A General Evaluation of Strength and Flaws

1.       Strengths

A historical outlook to the world

Overall, this book is very informative and depicts the main theme historically. It looks sometimes more like a history rather a debate on World Order. Anyhow, it is totally worth reading. Even those whose profession is not foreign policy or politics needs to have a general view of how the world has come so far in term of peace, order, and conflict.

Balance of power is important

There is an implication in Balance of power. After thirty years of war, European countries made a peace in Westphalia. According to Kissinger’s view, this peace and order were kept because of the balance of power in Europe.[ii] None of the nation-states was as powerful as to overrun others.  I think this balance of power is important everywhere in any context. Take it as an example in a country with diverse ethnic groups. If one ethnic group controls the power, economy, military, and everything, then there is a huge danger of exclusion, monopoly, and potential conflict. However, if every ethnic group has a fair share of power, grasp on economy and decision-making, there is less possibility of tension and conflict. At least, it has a direct implication in countries like Afghanistan.

2.       Flaws

All the roads do not lead to the U.S

However, it carries a biased spirit of the U.S supremacy in all over the content. Time to time, it refers to human rights and the issues like that as a U.S obligation that has protected so far while there are numerous instances that the U.S has violated such principles more than the others. If today, human rights and other universal values have changed to some disgusting toy, it is all because of misuse of these lofty terms as a means of intervention or else. In short, the tone of the book attributes all masterwork to the U.S and all the culprits to others while from the eye of a Non-U.S citizen, it looks quite the opposite. [iii]

Minimizing the World Order to the Peace of Westphalia and Western Order

Despite the importance of Westphalian Peace and accord, it would be a huge mistake to conclude it an overarching world order as it was only practiced in Europe and had no world impression. The Europe of the 1640s, was a dominant culture and civilization that whatever they had done, it should have affected globally. Yet, Henry Kissinger takes it for granted as an era which the history begins from. This generalization reminds us to think about the so-called World War I and II and questions them not as world wars but as European Wars. 

What about the rest of the world? Aren’t they a part of this globe that their wars and peace are not counted significant? This is so biased and discriminatory a look to the world.

Citation

 In the U. S education system, if a student fails to cite a source or does not rephrase a word from someone else in addition to the citation, he may face consequences and his work is not counted genuine. However, this book has few citation and it is not based on either of the citation trends (or in a loose sense, schools of citations). Again, in the U.S education system, if you state a story or an experience, you should give a reference to that even if it is your own words and experience. In this book, there are few references to claims or discussing themes. I don’t know, it may be because of his fame or else that reference is not a matter in this book.

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[i] Westphalian Order has brought about peace and balance of power and multi-polarity in Europe for one century and a half

(1648- to almost 1790  (because before the Vienna Congress, it took 25 years of disorder and the Congress of Vienna was held in 1815)

[ii] Kissinger, H. (2014). World Order. New York: Penguin Press. P 12

[iii] Kissinger, H. (2014). World Order. New York: Penguin Press. Pp 1-2