Realism in the Atomic Age (A Study of Kissinger's Thought)

Author: Ji Yongming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Kissinger was an outstanding diplomat and foreign policy thinker of the 20th century. He studied history from the perspective of realpolitik and provided a philosophical understanding of past diplomatic relations, making his foreign policy ideas uniquely insightful. His diplomatic philosophy originated from tradition while breaking from it, combining the characteristics of his era—the nuclear age—to build his own system of foreign policy thought, namely, realpolitik diplomacy in the nuclear age. During his 8 years in the White House, he applied his extraordinary wisdom and strategy to practice his foreign policy ideas, creating numerous miracles in the history of American diplomacy. His diplomatic achievements made outstanding contributions to world peace, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974.
Kissinger's diplomatic theories and practices quickly attracted the attention of scholars, so from the 1970s onward, studies and writings about him began to emerge. However, based on the author's review of existing research on Kissinger, there is still a lack of comprehensive and systematic studies of his diplomatic thought. Furthermore, domestic research has primarily focused on "power" and "balance of power," which is far from sufficient for understanding the broader framework of Kissinger's diplomatic philosophy.
The purpose of this paper is to systematically organize Kissinger's diplomatic thought by conducting an in-depth study of his representative works, building upon previous research. Reading Kissinger's writings reveals that the theoretical foundation of his diplomatic philosophy is realism, a synthesis of the realpolitik diplomacy and practices of major Western powers in the modern and contemporary periods. Therefore, studying Kissinger's diplomatic thought also involves analyzing the foreign policy of Western powers in the modern and contemporary era, helping to understand the motivations and roots of their current diplomatic actions. This can provide valuable insights for China's diplomatic practices in the nuclear age and the process of globalization.