HONG KONG ¨C Henry Kissinger has distilled many words of wisdom from four millennia of Chinese civilization, and several centuries of Western diplomacy, including almost half a century of personal experience at the sharp end of power politics. He has captured headlines and captivated some of the world¡¯s best commentating minds with his 580-page book ¡°On China.¡±
Most reviews and comments have been favorable, though professor Andrew Nathan in the upcoming Foreign Affairs neatly dismisses the tome as ¡°really neither history nor memoir. Its purpose is to argue that the United States should yield gracefully to China¡¯s rise in order to avoid a tragic conflict.¡±
This month marks 40 years since Kissinger feigned sickness in Pakistan and made a secret flight to China to pave the way for President Richard Nixon¡¯s historic visit to the country the following year. For me, Kissinger¡¯s biggest failure is what he omits.
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