Analysis of Chapter One and Chapter Two
The first chapter of World Order by Henry Kissinger begins by examining the uniqueness of the European order. He compares the kind of order in Europe and other countries especially Asian countries such as china and Islam. While these countries engaged in political contests that were fought for control of an established order, European countries embraced world order through pluralism. Pluralism was geared towards attaining peace and stability. The war that had lasted for 30 years between Catholics and Protestants, causing chaos, bloodshed and disorder was brought to an end by European Pluralism. The resolution was that individual countries were to take care of their own affairs and diplomacy was named an important goal for all. Britain was capable of restoring the peace of Westphalia and facilitated the balance of power amongst states. France championed for the universal goals and rights in the French revolution, upsetting the Westphalian peace that had emerged.
Russia became part of the balance of power and started working hard to expand its borders with a view of gaining security by ruling over its land. Russian Czar Emperor was believed to be the only emperor for Christians everywhere. However, Russian difficult history disapproved the idea that its security could come through Westphalian balance of power. While Europe was swept by Renaissance which encouraged individualism and freedom, Russia was determined to conserve its conventional concepts. Russian czar (the Great Peter) worked hard to gain control over the boundaries through modification of the military. His successor the Great Alexander also believed in complete autocracy.
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The congress of Vienna 1814 -1815 was held to curb overwhelming Russian dominance. This led to World War 1 that caused the downfall of Russia into USSR. The Middle East struggled with ongoing territorial, religious and political upheaval. Shias and Sunnis were involved in constant conflict due to varied interpretation of the Quran. Amid, constant conflicts in Asia, United States played a greater role in maintaining world order. America has employed the use technology to maintain world order throughout the past decades. However, advancement in technology has resulted in advancement of weapons that are capable of destroying human race. Several attempts by America to ensure world order have proved that the world which is full of diverse cultures, backgrounds and religious beliefs is difficult to manage. As a result of this fact, America has tried to unite different countries of the world in order to ensure that the much desired world order prevails among all countries of the world.
Implications of the World Order
World Order by Henry Kissinger is essentially important to any country of the world and instrumental for the achievement of any positive change by all governments and human societies. The issue of world order is a major determinant of the well-being of countries and their relationships in different ways. For instance, the writer outlines different political formations and the purposes of those formations and organizations. Countries that were able to achieve social order such as Britain and USA have had a number of transformative changes while those that engaged in disorderly formations have suffered tremendous losses. For instance, Kissinger stated that Russia became part of the balance power and started working hard to expand its borders with a view of achieving security of its borders but later on realized that its security could not come through Westphalian balance of power. On the other hand, Europe witnessed several decades of peace as a result of individualism.
World Order also manifests the dangers of cultural and religious differences within and amongst nations. Unless there is peace and order, matters of choice that cannot be interpreted in terms of logic such as differences in religious affiliations become a serious threat to life. In the Middle East, there were perpetual conflicts between countries, religious groups and even people of the same religion as a result of varied interpretation of the Quran. All these occur as a result of the inability to maintain world order.
The book further explains how US was unsuccessful in its attempts to unite the world as a result of diverse cultures, backgrounds and religions. The writer notes that unless these differences are completely resolved, it is very difficult to achieve world order. This is equally true at the level of individual countries. Achieving order in a multi-cultural country with varied religious affiliations is difficult unless all these differences are resolved. This means that for any form of order or development to be realized, there is need for cohesion, cooperation and unity among people of diverse backgrounds.
The evidence presented by Henry Kissinger in World Order is compelling enough and applicable even in the modern society. This is because his evidence is based on the step-by-step progress and development of different countries and civilizations. From this book, it can be concluded that social order is the basis of all developments in any country or human society. This is because countries that suffer continuous problems lack social order. Similarly, countries that began to embrace order were the first to achieve civilization. Britain is a perfect example of such countries.
In summary, World Order by Henry Kissinger offers a deep insight into history and a direct connection between history and the current political, cultural and religious situations. The book is relevant for understanding of the past and its connection to the present as well as prediction of the future.
Reference
Kissinger, H. (2015). World order . Penguin Books.
