Henry K’s world view

Press, 25 January 1986, Page 20

Henry K’s world view

Observations: Selected Speeches and Essays 1982-1984. By Henry Kissinger. Michael Joseph Weldon fold and NieoMon. 238 pp, index. $87.95. (Reviewed by Joan Curry) Henry Kissinger; as policy-maker turned commentator, has retained his interest in the functions of international systems. His observations on the three-dimensional chess game of foreign affairs, in progress all over the world, reflect that interest And whether or not you accept his premises, his interpretations and evaluations, you would have to concede that Dr Kissinger knows a thing or two about his subject He allows that he no longer has access to the detailed material necessary for the conduct of day-to-day matters of foreign policy. “The proper role for the outsider is to raise the middle and Jong term issues that the press of business keeps from the policymaker,** he says, modestly for someone who not so long ago was United States Secretary of State. Nevertheless, he has clear, firm views on the problems of the world and offers plausible suggestions for the resolution of at least some of them. The book is surprisingly optimistic in tone, considering the generally depressing nature of world problems. Dr Kissinger will not please everyone, however. He will not please the peace groups because he points out that a commitment to peace

without a commitment to defend freedom could leave democratic societies open to nuclear blackmailHe argues in favour of the retention of nuclear deterrents for a number of reasons, including the fact that too many nations have the expertise and the facilities to produce nuclear weapons and the- control of such weapons is now virtually impossible*: “Mankind cannot unlearn the secret of the atom. In other words, we are doomed to some kind of deterrence; equilibrium, or balance at some level and in some form.” < He will not please the anti-apartheid lobby either, because while he warns the South Africans not to be too smug about their strategic or economic, value to the rest of the world, hd declines to offer any solutions to their dangerous internal problems. He does urge a consultative effort to find creative answers and warns that "history is kind to political leaders who use a margin of choice while it i$ still available; those who wait on events are usually overwhelmed by them.” > East-West relations are extensively covered in this book, of course. And Dr Kissinger is formidably at home on the subject of the Middle East He tackles N.A.T.0., the Atlantic Alliance; economics, China, arms ! control; Central America, and gives them all focus and clarity. That three-

dimensional global chess game may be complicated, but it certainly helps to have some of the finer points explained and discussed. "