Kissinger, Metternich, Realism :: History

Kissinger, Metternich, Realism Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State during the Nixon administration, sculpted his statesmanship from the realistic ideals of Prince Klemens von Metternich, who served as the Minister of Austrian Affairs nearly 160 years earlier. Although Kissinger has denied fashioning his ideas after Metternich, he believed the following to be true: legitimacy is one of the most important factors regarding revolution and war, and that disorder is far worse than injustice. Revolution, by definition, is a dramatic change in ideas or practices. Kissinger and Metternich both agreed that, in the rare case that revolution was a legitimate idea, pacing was critical. Change needs to be gradual. A sudden change in either political or social ideas or rulers, they believed, could result in chaos and disorder. This disorder, in turn, can lead to crimes against one another because justice is lacking. Actions are born from chaos and become chaotic themselves. A revolution is, in most cases, born out of fear, whether that fear is legitimate or not. Take the American Revolution, for example. King George III was over-taxing the colonists. They wanted to be free of British rule so they revolted. This was one of the few legitimate revolutions because it had a direct affect on the people. A new country was founded on the blood of many men, but it is important to remember that a nation can live forever. A revolution, no matter where and when it occurs, will almost always have certain similar outcomes. A successful revolution, whether legitimate or not, allows new powers to rise and allows for revolutionary chieftains develop. Napoleon is an example of this. He and his aggressive leadership was a product of the French Revolution. As realists, both Kissinger and Metternich understood different motivations for revolutions and war. They believed objectivity is difficult to achieve and that m any factors enter a person’s decisions. Kissinger also felt that taking an idealistic approach to issues only resulted in disenchantment of the people. What starts out with good intentions towards hope of changing the world don’t always end up that way as was demonstrated by President Wilson’s unsuccessful try for democracy in the Muslim Middle East. In a world filled with disorder, order can be achieved by causing fear in the people. Saddam Hussein serves as an extreme example of this. He created order in Iraq by making his countrymen fear him. Saddam inundated his country with statues and posters of himself everywhere the people looked.