IN THE COURSE OF HIS 99 YEARS, Henry Kissinger has met many world statesmen both during and after his time as US National Security Adviser (1969-75) and Secretary of State (1973-77). This book is about six of the greatest of them, and what can be learned about their differing styles of leadership. As is often the case with Kissinger’s books, lain over that basic framework are profound thoughts about the nature of history, philosophical musings about the human condition and warnings about the future of the West, with insights such as “No society can remain great if it loses faith in itself or if it systematically impugns its self-perception.” New Yorkers who have recently pulled down the statues of Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt should take note.
Kissinger posits the concept of what he calls a “Second Thirty Years War” coming almost exactly three centuries after the first one
