Judy Woodruff:
Between the war in Ukraine and tensions with China, President Biden’s handling of foreign policy issues is being put to the test.
In former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s new book, “Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy,” he examines how past leaders in the era after the World Wars faced the challenges of their times.
I sat down with the 99-year-old veteran diplomat in his New York City office yesterday to discuss the Ukraine war, the state of global politics, and much more.
In this latest book, you tell us the story of six leaders on the world stage after World War II.
You say they were both statesmen and prophets. And my first question is, is there anyone in the world today, a world leader, who comes close to embodying the qualities of these six you portray in the book?
Henry Kissinger, Former U.S. Secretary of State: None, in my observation.
Of course, many of the contemporary leaders haven’t finished their careers yet. And maybe they haven’t faced their big challenges yet. But the reason I wrote about these six is because they made a difference in the evolution of their societies. And maybe one can learn something from them at a time when the transformation of societies is one of the big issues almost everywhere.
