World order
by Henry Kissinger · first published 1975
73% recommend18% neutral9% critical
Why HN recommends it
Readable history of diplomacy and the balance of power from the Westphalian era to today, by a statesman closely involved in many events. Recommended for anyone wanting a grounding in how major powers think.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
He speak in their first charter about the Holy Roman Empire and the transit towards others forms of power . He describes the peace of Westphalia as a source of secular power and a start for international law formulations and power balance . Look like interessant !
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I'm not going to list all 42, but here are the highlights: How to Read a Book (Adler) World Order (Kissinger) Der Grundrisse (Marx) The Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski) Manufacturing Consent (Chomsky) Gulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn) On War (Clausewitz) The Hidden Persuaders (Packard) Intuition…
on “Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?” ↗…Russians were killed in the last world war. That kind of causes deep seated trust issues. You’re also utterly missing any understanding of geopolitics. May I recommend “Flashpoints” by George Friedman and “World Order” by Henry Kissinger. This will open your eyes to how the world works, and why things are the way they are. And you should be worried if there are US nukes in you country. That means you’re now in other…
on “Where Are the Brave Military Voices Against the Forever War?” ↗Well that's the reason the War on Terror is such a stupid concept. There was no win condition, because we never defined one or stuck to it. As Kissinger pointed out in World Order (love or hate the man, it's a good read) - military force is a political tool to achieve political goals. And just like Kissinger's abject failure to achieve any meaningful political goals other than…
on “U.S. Signs Peace Deal with Taliban” ↗…the PRC/Soviet Union alliance. The relationship was broken long before rapprochement. Nixon/Kissinger took advantage of the split; they didn't cause it. As an aside, I'm currently reading Kissinger's World Order. It's a fascinating read by a man who was undeniably a giant of a statesman, despite his many flaws. [1] http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nixon-prolonged-vie...
on “He was a crook (1994)” ↗…directly, through mentorship, or through his writing and teaching. His voice is a powerful one, and if you are interested in contemporary geopolitics you should read his books and listen to his speeches. World Order is a fantastic text. You don't have to agree with him.
on “What were the creepiest declassified documents of the last decade?” ↗I think his book on World Orders is interesting. https://www.amazon.com/World-Order-Henry-Kissinger/dp/014312...
on “Henry Kissinger Has Died” ↗World Order by Kissinger Whatever you think of the man and his decisions, you will learn deep history and what's at stake in the increasing world chaos evidenced by the invasion of Ukraine, current Israel-Hamas…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗Start with WW II up until now. Korean war, Taiwan strait crises, and the re-opening of China. Kissinger is a good story teller and has written many books. The latest is called "World Order". He lived through all of it and was involved in a lot of our foreign policy moves. He's given a few talks at Google, e.g. [1]. There are a lot of other videos of him on Youtube. He answers tough…
on “The U.S. Navy’s Big Mistake: Building Tons of Supercarriers” ↗Kissinger's "World Order" (2014) is much, much better for anyone interested in how the internet will shape the future of governments. 10/10 do recommend. This book ("The Age of AI", Kissinger, 2021) is as good as a Business…
on “The Age of AI by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt and Daniel Huttenlocher” ↗…Climate' by Naomi Klein 47. 'Thrown' by Kerry Howley 48. 'The Trip To Echo Spring: On Writers And Drinking' by Olivia Laing 49. 'The True American: Murder And Mercy In Texas' by Anand Giridharadas 50. 'World Order' by Henry Kissinger
on “Notable Books of 2014” ↗> May I recommend “Flashpoints” by George Friedman and “World Order” by Henry Kissinger. Kissinger, seriously? I find it typical for neorealists to assume that if you're not also a neorealist, you "don't understand geopolitics". Cutthroat policy making for its own sake.
on “Where Are the Brave Military Voices Against the Forever War?” ↗World War 3 starts. Personal data stored in banks/ISPs/FB/Google etc are taken at gun point and used for population scale psychological warfare. Kissinger(World Order)/Niall Ferguson(Square and the Tower)/Graham Allison(Thucydides Trap)/Moises Naim(End of Power) say networks of power are more and more unstable similar to 1914. To maintain stability they(irrespective…
on “Ask HN: A New Decade. Any Predictions?” ↗