The Naturalness of Empire

A quote from Henry Kissinger's Diplomacy elicits a good blog posting at the Coming Anarchy,
 
"Theorists of the balance of power often leave the impression that it is the natural form of international relations. In fact, balance-of-power systems have existed only rarely in human history. The Western Hemisphere has never known one, nor as the territory of contemporary China since the end of the period of warring states, over 2,000 years ago. For the greatest part of humanity and the longest periods of history, empire has been the typical mode of government. Empires have no interest in operating within an international system; they aspire to be the international system. Empires have no need for a balance of power. That is how the United States has conducted its foreign policy in the Americas, and China through most of its history in Asia."
 
For what its worth my comments below,
 
"I concur with Kissinger. A balance of power is an artistic creation designed by statesmen. It is not natural. What is natural is Will to Power. Everything else is an effort to constrain that natural desire within a framework that is acceptable to the largest number of people because what is natural, is also very dangerous."

Posted by Greg R Lawson at 12/15/2011 4:47 PM
Categories: Diplomacy Geopolitics Kissinger
Tags: Diplomacy Geopolitics Kissinger
 

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